Advice to public administrators
I've been asked to participate on a panel at a public administration conference in Chapel Hill. The panel's topic: the impact of changing media on the relationship between government and media. Some suggested topics: how does government with good intentions deal with the information demands -- which cause a huge increase of work -- of "new media." How to respond when "new media" twist the information to suit their own agendas. How can the public get ethical and honest coverage?
We have all of 45 minutes.
I'm pleased that the conference planners understand that "new media" exists. I think I'm the closest thing to a "new media" journalist on the panel, though, which seems to be an oversight, if not a misnomer.
That said, here are my four initial talking points. I'm looking for additions and refinement:
* Get the boss a blog. The city manager's and county manager's voices are powerful only if they use them. A manager's blog that is active -- he posts often, speaks plainly and interacts with commenters -- will serve three purposes. First, it will deliver important information to citizens. Second, it will be a direct, easy conduit for citizens to deliver information to him. Third, it will be his invitation to the party. He can visibly join in the conversation that is already going on without him.
And most important, you (the universal you) don't have to rely on any media to get your information out. You have a direct outlet, unfiltered by the newspaper or the "new media" voices.
A blog is time-consuming, but it gets easier and quicker as you go along. And the transparency and accessibility it provides are important. Tell him to cut something else out of his schedule. Or, add a couple other leaders as co-hosts of the blog. The more voices explaining government actions and talking with citizens, the better.
* Remember that debate informs democracy. While elbows are thrown and noses bloodied, there is a point to it all. In the ideal, information is spead and ideas are sharpened. As an official representing an institution, you probably won't find many friends in the blogosphere. You are representing government and therefore are involvedi n decisions that will upset people. That's OK.
* Follow the Pareto principle: 80 percent of your attention should go to 20 percent of the blogs. Yes, this may be tough to swallow if you believe that every citizen is a taxpayer and deserves equal treatment. You don't do it in the real world; you shouldn't do it in the blogosphere, either. In this world where everyone has the equivalent of a printing press or TV station, you have to manage your time and make some decisions. Make them based on reasonableness.
Some people don't want to listen; they want to talk (or shout). Some have already made up their minds and are unforgiving. They will make their opinion clear. Realize that it's an opinion and they have a right to it. You'll learn quickly if they are open to informed debate. If not, move on.
But 20 percent will be worth your attention. They will be interested in information, openness and fair discussion. You'll learn from them and from discussing their points in public in the blogosphere. That's where the reasonable readers will go, too. And you want to help people sift through the facts and the opinions so that they can come to their own conclusions. People are pretty sophisticated. If you are open and forthcoming, they will be able to see through most of the attempts to twist information. Anyway, you should be able to take 15 minutes at the end of your work day to scan your RSS reader and respond to some, delegate responses to others and ignore still others.
A caveat: This is not to suggest that you ignore suggestions or problems. If someone posts second-hand information, for instance, about gangs charging a toll to cross a foot bridge, investigate.
* Understand that you don't control the media message. My experience is that it's a rare elected official who understands that, but as a professional, you must. Citizens have the right to ask for most government documents and records. They are your customers. Yes, they don't understand much about public records law. Yes, their requests can be overwhelming. Yes, when they write about the civic topic and post public records, they may get it wrong, or not give you the opportunity to explain.
Those all apply to newspapers, too. Deal with it. Add clerical staff if you need to. We have had to deal with enough government employees who forget that they work for the public. The more people who demand accountability from government, the better that government and the democracy will be.
What else? I can talk fast.
Comments (1)
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If there is a problem in providing infomation it is because the gathering was not good. How much time is spent in generating just junk...most committees should be disbanded if they are not establishing benchmarks and getting somewhere.
Now to get somewhere you must spend some think time that requires exchange of information but that means you answer questions and stop this only two questions on a card or break down into a small group and them come together... part of the necessary process is the question and answer session which is manipulated by the governing body. the governing body can be the boss, or elected official...they do not ask then wonder why we don't participate. .
Posted on November 1, 2007 11:11 PM