Hopefully, this doesn't turn into a rant...but then again a little rant never hurt anyone, right?
Yesterday, someone very important to me deployed with the USS Harry S. Truman Strike Group. The normal stories ran in the paper - children with sullen faces, wives crying and girlfriends desperate for another kiss. It's the same circle of stories. Ship leaves, people cry, ship returns - people happy. Regardless of how you feel about the war - left or right - our service members are risking their lives to fight for a freedom they've been told needs to be defended.
With such large goals to accomplish and so much at stake, I think the U.S. Navy needs to take greater steps to include public relations as a more significant part of its administration. As a practitioner in the defense sector, I can't help but feel that there is much that could be accomplished if there was a larger PR presence. Especially with such a sensitive political climate, we worry so much about what we can't say - that we forget all the many things we can say. More than just a story about a sailor sadly deploying on a ship - tell about why he joined, what he hopes to accomplish or some of the lessons he's learned on his journey. Even stories about the spouses that support their service members would bring to life some of the many 'true lives' of service families.
The point of my rant - more than just working as a public affairs person - there is much that PR practitioners can bring to the defense arena. The audience is captive - the stories are around us- we just need to use the tools we've learned as practitioners to help communicate all the many messages that our publics need to know.
Instead of regurgitating stories - hire a PR person and really communicate with your publics. Have we not yet learned that a little good PR goes a long way?
Yesterday, someone very important to me deployed with the USS Harry S. Truman Strike Group. The normal stories ran in the paper - children with sullen faces, wives crying and girlfriends desperate for another kiss. It's the same circle of stories. Ship leaves, people cry, ship returns - people happy. Regardless of how you feel about the war - left or right - our service members are risking their lives to fight for a freedom they've been told needs to be defended.
With such large goals to accomplish and so much at stake, I think the U.S. Navy needs to take greater steps to include public relations as a more significant part of its administration. As a practitioner in the defense sector, I can't help but feel that there is much that could be accomplished if there was a larger PR presence. Especially with such a sensitive political climate, we worry so much about what we can't say - that we forget all the many things we can say. More than just a story about a sailor sadly deploying on a ship - tell about why he joined, what he hopes to accomplish or some of the lessons he's learned on his journey. Even stories about the spouses that support their service members would bring to life some of the many 'true lives' of service families.
The point of my rant - more than just working as a public affairs person - there is much that PR practitioners can bring to the defense arena. The audience is captive - the stories are around us- we just need to use the tools we've learned as practitioners to help communicate all the many messages that our publics need to know.
Instead of regurgitating stories - hire a PR person and really communicate with your publics. Have we not yet learned that a little good PR goes a long way?
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