It must be after prime time: We’ve gotten into Public Affairs. No, not Bill Clinton and Monica — although, come to think of it, former President Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky was a silver-plated sex scandal that was most certainly both a very public affair and a matter of public affairs in the PR sense. Bad Boy Bill’s sorry escapade got him impeached by his outraged and opportunistic political enemies, but not convicted.
But enough of that PG-13 story. What you public relations students need to know about public affairs is that, like investor relations and crisis communication, it’s a specialty of public relations — one of PR’s specialized applications. And like the other PR special applications, the essence of public affairs is all about the special public on whom the practice of public affairs is focused. Where for investor relations the special public is called the investment community (small and institutional investors, business and financial media, stock brokers and buy-and sell-side analyst, government regulators), for public affairs the special public is government at all levels. Or more precisely, public affairs is an organization’s practice of relationship-creation, maintenance and repair with local, state and federal government.
Public Affairs is all about politics and power, as opposed to plain-vanilla marketing and sales. So when your electric utility wants to raise the rate you pay for your power, it must persuade the state regulatory agency of the pressing need to do so. And when your state college seeks to change its name from “college” to “university,” it must allay the concerns of the Board of Higher Education, as well as the state legislative committee on higher education, not to mention the editorial page editors of the local newspaper.
Twenty years ago, I was asked to write a speech for the CEO of a local insurance company. The company was seeking to influence opinion leaders in congress that the company ought to be able to compete on a level playing field with banks by being allowed to issue credit cards, just as banks do. Such permission would require congress to alter or reform a collection of financial regulatory legislation passed during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The speech, which the CEO delivered at a general meeting of the Brookings Institute, a Washington, D.C. organization concerned with public policy matters, was delivered to an audience that included congresspersons, their staffs, the media, and individuals of influence in the business community.
The opposite side of the coin of public affairs is called government relations — that is, government’s attempt to communicate effectively with us, the citizens of the American democracy. So when President Obama delivers his televised speech on his decision to send (or not to send) troops to Afghanistan, he will be engaging in government relations — the public affairs practiced by government when it seeks to enter in a conversation with, and influence, the public.
The molecular structure of public affairs and government relations, so to speak, comprises issues — those debatable, often hotly contested matters in the public interest. Should Social Security be privatized? Should the US health care system be “reformed,” and if so, should public funds be available for abortions (also called women’s reproductive health). Of course, words matter a great deal for the framing of these issues, these debates, these arguments. So do symbolic activities such as protest marches and boycotts.
Here is the Lattimore chapter’s segmented outline:
Preview. What is Public Affairs? Public Affairs for not-for-profit organizations. Public Affairs in Business. Public Affairs Tasks. Understanding the political system (electoral activities, legislative activities, politicking from the grass rooms, state and local public affairs, internal political communication). “
Governmental Public Affairs (background of public relations in American government, importance and scope of governmental public relations, function of governmental public relations, practice of governmental public relations, using the Internet, Public Relations and political campaigns).
Case Study: “Education Department Paid Commentator to Promote Law”
Lobbying. Yes, it has a bad name. But that’s not because it’s unethical or illegal. It’s actually very much in keeping with the proper business of a democratic society — interested groups seeking to influence public opinion in their favor. Lobbyists are required to register with governmental regulators who monitor their activities. From the left to the right of the political spectrum — National Rifle Association to Emily’s List — much money (some say far too much) flows into the political system through political action committees (PACs). Money can corrupt the system, of course. But lobbying itself is consistent with what PR scholar Robert Heath has called “the wrangle in the marketplace.”
