ADPR3860 Midterm

What is public affairs?

Matters pertaining to the formulation of public policy or administration of the state

The Greek philosopher Socrates was tried and sentenced to death for moral impropriety associated with his teaching of youth in ancient Athens. What does this tell you about the limits of Athenian democracy?

Athenian democracy was not a true democracy because it did not serve protect all citizens, even those who speak out against it. There was no "checks and balances" system to hold those in power accountable and limit their power. The majority in power could silence or kill those who dared to openly criticize their roles in public affairs. The death of Socrates revealed the flaws in the system and exemplifies the importance of a governmental system that is implemented to ensure justice to all.

How were the members of the Roman Senate selected?

They were appointed by the patricians.

What do you consider to be the most important aspect of public affairs in contemporary America?

I believe the most important aspect of public affairs in contemporary America is the correspondence with constituents. In order for the elected officials to truly represents their constituents; open communication is vital. The communication between elected officials and constituents allows the nation to function in a truly representative manner. The accountability that this places on elected officials to fully represent their constituents is important in the functioning of a true democracy. Open communication between the elected officials and constituents is a crucial aspect of public affairs.

Define public affairs communications.

The application of communications theory, strategy, and tactics to shape a public affairs outcome.

What do you think of town hall meetings as a form of public affairs communications? Are they effective and/or essential tools in a participatory government?

Town hall meetings enable the public to communicate with elected officials to hopefully shape outcomes. It allows for participation and can therefore be deemed an essential tool. Their level of effectiveness is up for debate, dependent on the receptiveness of the representative. Additionally, these opinions may be dismissed as angry, irrational, or irrelevant. Many would suppose that representatives would dismiss these opinions unless they threaten their reelection.

What has the dominant trend in campaign spending been between 1960 and today?

Campaign spending, excepting 2016, has increased substantially over the years.

Can you think of another example of an issue advocacy campaign along the lines of one of the campaigns outlined above?

Pro-life groups are probably leaders of one of the most successful issue advocacy campaigns in American history, in that they have taken a singular issue, abortion, and utilized it to promote various electoral campaigns over the last several decades.

What activity or tactic accounts for the largest share of an elective or issue advocacy campaign's spending?

Advertising

Which of these things are not generally done by public affairs communications practitioners in the public sphere?

Draft legislation

Which of these is not a public service communications position?

Communications director for U.S. Chamber of Commerce

What do you think about the revolving door of consultants between political campaigns, public service, and the private sector?

I think that the revolving door in which people work in different spheres of public communication isn't necessarily a positive or a negative. It is unrealistic to expect that people working in these positions will go into them without their own personal biases or agendas, this only becomes a problem when people start to put their own motives before the needs of the people they are serving. I also think that this problem is one that persists across all platforms and career paths, so it isn't all that unique to public service, although it might be more direct in it's affects here. For instance, in the medical field, if someone chooses to become a doctor, but they are also secretly a member of a hate group, that affiliation would become a problem when they provide poor service to a patient because of their personal discriminatory beliefs.

Which of the following is not an NGO?

U.S. Department of Commerce

Do you think corporations would be engaging places to practice public affairs communications? Why or why not?

Personally, I would not want to work as a public affairs professional at a corporation because I feel like the goals of a corporation would not align with my personal morals. In many cases, corporations are exploitive of both peoples and the environment. I would not want to have the job of creating a communications strategy that works to minimize the backlash on these issues. In these situations, public professionals don't work to change the company's practices, they simply attempt to control public opinion on the subject to save face for the company.

Which of these models is not proposed by Grunig and Hunt?

Persuasion

Which of the following is an element of the advertising management model?

Audience, message, media, measure

Do you agree with the Iron Triangle formulation? Why or why not?

The Iron Triangle is a concise, but accurate method of demonstrating the relationship between interest groups, the legislature, and the executive. Each group relies on each other for funding, information, or friendly laws and policy. If one side tries to test the other, it can lead to implications from the other side of the triangle.

Is an understanding of theoretical models useful for a practitioner of public affairs communications practitioners?

I certainly thing is useful to understand theoretical models. Obviously, relying solely on these models is not great as no model provides a complete picture as to how politics works, but they all provide useful information about how the process works that can help them do their jobs.

Which theoretical approach detailed to you offers the most useful insights to thinking about public affairs communications and why?

Undoubtedly, the model that gives the most insight is the Advertising Management Model. The number one concern for public affairs communications is the public. They need to know who is listening before anything else can be decided and this model provides a simple way of showing the importance and order of each step in the process of delivering a message.

What strategy would you propose for a congressional candidate running in a safe Republican seat in Georgia in 2018?

The candidate should make it known their ideals align with Donald Trump and that they are an ally of Trump and his agenda. If the district is truly a safe republican seat, then it would be a decent idea to do that. While doing this, the candidate should try to appeal to the moderate republicans that are on the fence about such extreme Trump ideals. This would allow them to unify the party in the area and show they are better "radical left".

If you were managing a communications campaign in opposition to this nomination on behalf of a left-leaning organization, what would your strategy be?

I would appeal to the issues that left-leaning individuals care about. I would advertise how the nominee is a danger to rights and liberties and how they want to strip communities of their freedoms. The goal would be to get the support of the people and similar organizations.

Which of the following is not a public affairs communications tactic?

Lobbying

What tactics would you undertake in furtherance of the strategy that you proposed in opposition to the Supreme Court nominee?

Message development will be the most crucial part of the opposition; using public opinion research to determine what is most important to citizens and including those factors in one message loud and clear. The message needs to be one kind of slogan or phrase that spokespeople for the organization can use, and something simple and catchy to be used to spread through social media.

Which best describes the distinction between strategy and tactics?

Strategy is the master plan for achieving an objective and tactics are the specific actions that would be undertaken to accomplish it.

Do you think that public affairs communications practitioners should rely on public opinion research as much as they do? Why or why not?

Polling and public opinion research is extremely important for public communications practitioners to pay attention to. Without polls, it's much more difficult to gage a widespread opinion on an issue, and in this sense would make forming an opinion or statement through a candidate or client is much more dicey. However, although the accuracy polling has improved, it is nearly impossible to have a completely accurate or completely unbiased poll. The way questions are asked, the scale on graphs or charts, where the poll is advertised, etc. that sometimes reliance on a poll is very dangerous and could skew the opinion of your candidate/client/incumbent.

Which of the following is a medium for conducting a survey?

Telephone, online, and in-person

Focus groups are predominantly conducted . . .

In-person

If you were conducting initial research for an issue advocacy campaign on a complicated healthcare issue, would you begin with quantitative or qualitative research? Why?

I would begin with quantitative research. I think having a numerical and statistical basis for the research is a great jumping off point. Once you see the trends on a large scale, you can use the qualitative research to understand the specifics behind why people believe/think the way they do. You can also use the information gained through quantitative research to tailor your questions more accurately.

Why do you think public opinion polls failed to accurately predict the outcome of the 2016 presidential election?

I believe the public opinion polls failed to accurately predict the outcome of the 2016 presidential election because the voters and people that were polled were not representative of the voters that actually turned out. The middle-class workers in Rust Belt states were not represented enough, and they were one of the reasons that Trump won the general election (they helped flip many states to push Trump over 270 electoral votes). The polls failed to predict such a large voter turnout among certain groups of people, and thus their public opinion polls pre-election were not accurate.

Do you agree with Franklin's assertion of the indispensability of a free press to our democratic republic or do you think that there is media bias that has eroded its usefulness?

Having a free press is the cornerstone of American democracy. Without them the government can run amok without the effort of transparency. For a successful government to occur, there need to be checks on its power from an outside source. Unless the government decides to own the newspapers/news sources (in which case makes it propaganda), the free press is incredibly useful. I think the distinction of "press" has deteriorated and caused the bias in our system. Some companies, which were started to steer the press in a certain direction, have caused issues with the biased nature of the press. And when you include social media into the mix, it can come off as quite biased at times.

Based on your knowledge of history and some of the recordings that you have now heard, who do you think was the most effective at utilizing the broadcast medium to advance their public affairs communications and why?

Many of my classmates have already mentioned this, but FDR was incredibly effective at using the broadcast media to advance their public affairs communications. His fireside chats positioned him as a candidate who was like a friend that could sit with you by the fire and talk. It made people see him as being like them instead of an elite.

Was CNN's Bernard Shaw's question for Michael Dukakis appropriate? Was it consistent with the mission of a free press?

The question was constituent with the mission of the free press. The press is supposed ask questions that the public wants to hear. Whether it is appropriate, I think the question that personal can be asked but if the question causes an emotional response it shouldn't be criticized. As long as that's understood I think it's appropriate.

Which is not a stage in the evolution of media for public affairs communications?

Telegraph

Which of the following is a written earned media product?

Press release, Op-Ed, LTE, Editorial board presentation

How has editing improved your writing?

Editing has improved my writing because it allows me to see how other people hear what I write versus how I intended it. It is so critical to be open to feedback during the editing process for both that piece and changes that need to be made to your overall writing style.

What do you consider to be the most important publication for public affairs practitioners to read?

I think an accurate, non-biased source such as the Associated Press is an important read. It is difficult for me to pick just one publication that I consider most important for public affairs practitioners to read. Each outlet has some level of bias that effects the information they present and how it is presented. It is most important for practitioners to make sure that they are actively seeking out all sides to a story and not accepting just one without doing the research.

What is your opinion of AP style?

I like the AP style. It is straightforward, concise, and easy to digest. It allows the reader to get all necessary information without being bombarded with fluff and filler. It also provides a sense of continuity between articles/writings.

Please name a writer whose style you admire and describe why you admire him or her.

Two writers that admire are Malcom Gladwell and Maya Angelou. Malcom Gladwell utilizes case studies and more simplistic word choice to convey a deeper meaning. He also builds suspense through his storytelling. I admire how he inspires conversation through his writing. Maya Angelous is able to convey raw emotion through her writing. Her ability to combine activism and writing inspires me.

What should dictate the length of an op-ed?

The publication's stated word limit