For public affairs agencies and government organizations, the Internet has become a helping hand that extends the reach of their messages and, in many cases, saves them immeasurable time. In short, it's a necessary PR tool.
Aside from simply being part of the "we have a Web site" bandwagon, public affairs organizations with an Internet presence are making it easier for the public to communicate with them. In addition, many organizations are finding that reporters have come to rely on their site for quick information, thereby saving staff time answering media calls.
Although not every government branch or public affairs group has a Web site, those that do feature comprehensive, informative pages that support and/or enhance their other means of communication such as print brochures, mailings and broadcast advertising.
In this article, we offer a look at what many large governmental and public affairs groups are doing in cyberspace, and the PR benefits they've reaped.
National Institutes of Health
At the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, there is one main Web site, located at http://www.nih.gov, which branches off into 24 separate sites, for each NIH department or center.
Jane Shure, information officer, said that "e are getting less mail and press calls than we did before we put up the site...instead, people are calling asking us [NIH] if they can put us as a link on their sites. We always say yes, of course, and that will give us an even bigger audience on the Web."
The NIH site has the same information that a person calling, writing, faxing or going to the institute can get, except "there are no long documents on any of the sites. From a PR perspective, the Web isn't a great place for complex information, we'd rather put a teaser up (to expect it in the mail) or direct the user elsewhere," said Shure.
The site has such features as a map of the NIH campus, a health information database where users can look up any health-related issue and get a full description, an index of key words, and links to medical treatments or findings.
Department of Justice
At the Department of Justice Web site, http://www.usdoj.gov, users can find out everything from President Clinton's and Attorney General Janet Reno's mission statements and speeches to new ideas for parents and teachers to keep kids off the street and out of gang-related or youth crime situations.
One DOJ public affairs spokesperson said that, "reporters really get a lot out of the press releases that we post on the site...the site really meets the enormous demand, especially since the Attorney General is very much in favor of free flow of information."
Federal Bureau of Investigation
As a reminder of just how valuable online information can be, the site links to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) site, located at http://www.fbi.gov, where users can see clear pictures of wanted fugitives.
Further links to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), http://www.usdoj.gov/dea, will let users pull up information on criminals. This kind of information can never reach too many people, and as a public affairs tool that communicates societal concerns and issues to the public, the Web definitely does the trick.
Department of Education
Another government branch, the Department of Education, located at http://www.ed.gov, features the AskERIC Virtual Library, where users can type in a question and have ERIC, the world's largest database on education, respond by e-mail.
The Education Resource Organizations Directory (EROD) includes information and links for over 1,900 local, regional and national organizations.
Jim Bradshaw, spokesperson for the DOE, said, "the site is increasingly becoming a major medium for conveying our messages, products and services, and it offers a variety of features, from tips for parents to advice for high school and college students."
Public Affairs Council
This organization does not yet have a site but is planning one, according to Cheryl Lewis, manager of programs who is heading the upcoming site. Lewis said the site will be tailored to its more than 500 corporations nationwide.
"But a small part of the site will be for the public, describing the corporate public affairs arena in which we operate. There's been a huge demand for a site."
(PAC, 202/872-1790; NIH, 301/496-4000; DOJ, 202/514-2000; DOE, 800/872-5327)