The Role Of A Public Information Officer

Public information officers are usually employed by some type of governmental agency, their responsibilities include creating communication between government organizations, the media, and the public, these public information officers work with upper management at all of the government levels serving as a buffer relaying necessary information to other departments, media, and the public, organizations such as police and fire departments usually have their own public information officer which is distinct from the rest of the agency (Roberts, 2018). The public information officer has the responsibility of making sure any and all statements that are released to the public follow guidelines of the agency, these statements must be accurate and
must keep in context of the law and the official policies. Within the federal, state, and local government agencies information that is critical to the public has to be shared, these officers must be skilled in a way they can present and handle sensitive information, public information officers uses strategies to get their information out to the public the most viable way is to use the media outlets, via press conferences when the press is informed they in return will alert the public with breaking news stories. The PIO job creates stress with this stress comes an adrenaline rush, being the center of attention and in the thick of the action during a crisis gives these individuals a sense of control and power. To be a leading candidate for the position of public information officer the candidate must have a very strong interpersonal attitude , organizational, problem-solving, research. Speaking and writing skills, but they must go through the normal channels for the hiring process (Roberts, 2018). As a public information officer, they represent the organization, so they are upstanding in the community, due to be the face of the institution in the absence of the leader.
Another duty of the PIO is to work behind the scene gathering information that is valuable to the institution, analyzing recent information, and writing speeches and working with other officials of the institution to plan their next move (Roberts, 2018). Most of the public information officer time is spent working with varies media outlets, press release statements which are used by the officer to jump-start the media in the hopes they will publish or relay their information to the public. Examples of public information officers would be John Zangardi who serves as the chief officer for the Department of Homeland Security, he has also served as a chief officer at the Department of Defense (President Donald J. Trump announces key additions to his administration, 2017). Another PIO is Lt. Sam Robinson who is the PIO at San Quentin Prison he has served in this capacity for five years. Mr. Robinson runs at least two tours a year of the institution for college classes, law enforcement groups, documentary filmmakers, and the public figures, he also spends countless hours responding to the media inquiries about inmates on death row. His reviews by others have been excellent and he is a great historian with a flair for the media (Opec staff,
2013). Being a public information officer in a state prison is like none other, when a crisis occurs the public information is the face of the institution everything that is said will be quoted and said by the PIO, when there is no crisis the public information officer spends his/her time responding to public records act requests, they are responsible for writing articles that concern the prison, responding to media requests, and lastly acting as the assistant to the warden (Opec, 2013).
As a public information officer working within a correctional institution my first order of business is familiarizing myself with the policy and procedures of the institution, also studying the state guidelines for the institution. Reviewing the work of the previous public information officer gives me insight into what was right and what went wrong so the same mistake is not made
twice. Communicate with the warden to see where his/her concerns are, then I would hold my first press conference giving the media and the public information about who I am what I represent and my mission statement. Answering questions concerning my involvement with the prison and assuring the public and public officials that their concerns will be addressed, and I am open to listening to concerns and coming up with a plan of action that will work for all parties. Since the media has never been allowed into the institution I will schedule a tour for the media without the cameras, answering as many questions about the institution and how we operate. My main objective is to change the media and public perception of the prison, another goal is to listen to staff as they voice their concerns trying to come to a point where all parties can work in harmony together. The strategy is to keep a working relationship with the press uses them as an adversary, they will serve as a go-between for the public and the prison. Since the prison is located in a community another concern I plan to deal with is assuring the public of its safety and keeping them informed of changes that affect the community. The life of a public information officer can be a twenty-four hour a day job, but I am dedicated to bringing change to my institution.
President Donald J. Trump announces key additions to his administration (October 26, 2017). https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-key-additions-administration-18/
Opec staff (March 14,2013) A day in the life of a public information officer| inside CDCR https://www.insidecdcr.ca.gov/2013/.../a-day-in-the-life-of-a-public-information-offie...
Roberts, M. (May 10, 2018). Government job profile: Public information officer https://www.balancecareers.com/government-job-profile-public-information-officer-1669701