Understanding Government

“Never Go to an Interview Alone”:  Public Information Officers and the Politics of Communication in the Executive Branch

By Norman Kelley

Did you know that nearly every time a reporter interviews a public official on the record for a publication like Understanding Government, there are usually three people in the room? That’s right – there’s the reporter, the subject of the interview (in our case, officials at different government agencies we have been talking to for our “Public Service Announcement” series), and one other person.  That person usually has the unassuming title of Public Information Officer, or PIO (also known as “public affairs specialists”).  And that person’s job, in a nutshell, is to make sure that the interviewee says the right things and that the reporter doesn’t report the wrong things.

Given the Obama administration’s stated support for open government and transparency in decision-making, we decided to take a look at exactly why the Obama Administration, and many administrations before his, have been so convinced that their high-ranking staff members need to have such close supervision when they “meet the press.”  Are we talking about information-restricting “handlers,” or experts who are guarantee that the public is getting correct information about what government is doing?  The role of public information officers (also known as public affairs specialists) may be well-known to reporters who want to learn the truth, but it is more or less invisible to the general public. (more…)