Figure 4-1.—Gallup public opinion poll reflecting strong public confidence in the military.
War of Words
It was clear in the 1990-1991 Operation DESERT
SHIELD/STORM that political and military leaders
must be involved with the news media to communicate
their views to the American and international publics. In
fact, Fortune magazine reported that President Bush
included the use of the news media as one of his main
“tools of crisis management.” Leaders know that to gain
public support and trust, they must reach out through the
news media. It is also true that our enemies and military
critics are “media street smart.”
MEDIA TYPES
Learning Objective: Identify and analyze the various
types of media.
To be successful in disseminating information
through mass media, you must analyze all available
media. You must determine the requirements of each
medium and then, within the limits of security, accuracy,
propriety, policy and resources, fulfill these re-
quirements. By serving each medium’s particular
requirements, you prove a principle of communication
(know your audience) and a principle of the public
affairs profession (give the media what they need in a
way they can use it).
Your public affairs office should serve (at least) the
following media and be familiar with their require-
ments:
. Newspaper
l Radio
. Television
. News services
l Syndicates
. Magazines
. News magazines
l Consumer magazines
. Internal or promotional publications
l Books
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