As public affairs officers we often have to shift from topic to topic in any assignment but especially throughout our careers.
You may start out as a public affairs officer for a Brigade, or a portion of a fleet. First you’re in the Pacific, then in the Mid-East. As a PAO in special operations, then the spokesman for Afghanistan – I know the shifts that are demanded of us.
If only, we had experts we could depend on. If only, there were people who know our business (of PAOing) but also know the business of the area or subject matter we are working in. Good news, there are experts who know our business. The journalist on your beat knows the deal.
Journalists are often ‘stationed’ in the same place for years, sometimes decades. Journalists must know the subject matter they are writing about deeply, because, well, they’re writing about it.
When I arrived in Afghanistan in 2019, Pam Constable from the Washington Post had been in and out of Afghanistan since 1999.
Barbara Starr from CNN has been reporting on defense since 1988 and in the Pentagon since 2001.
Back in 2003, when I was an infantryman in Afghanistan, along the Pakistani border, I ate lunch with Greg Palkot from Fox. He had an in-depth understanding of, not only my area but the global politics surrounding the war. I learned a lot at lunch that day.
Want to understand terrorism better? Eric Schmitt of the NY Times has been reporting on it since 2007 and won a few Pulitzers. Nbd.
When I got to Fort Bragg, the late Henry Cunningham of the Fayetteville Observer had been reporting since before I was born.
The experts are all around us. They’re happy to talk if you have legitimate questions and interest. We’re on the same team, working together for accuracy and balance. Don’t be afraid, it’s actually our job and you don’t need permission to have a conversation.
Photo by Lance Cpl. Jose Gonzalez
