THE COMMUNICATIVE ACTION OF JOURNALISTS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICERS

Abstract

Public information officers (PIOs) represent a type of communications professional distinct from public relations practitioners (PRPs). From a structural functionalist viewpoint, journalists and PIOs share goals: both see themselves as facilitating the information flow into the public sphere. Habermas' communicative action models defining journalists as committed to revealing the “whole truth” to the public, but PRPs as enmeshed in advocating private interests, do not adequately describe PIOs. Although journalists' and PIOs' goals are similar, barriers exist to inhibit their cooperation in achieving those mutual goals. Such barriers arise from academic ideal types fostering inaccurate perceptions of each other, perceptions reinforced by adaptive structuration within their respective organizations' cultures. Empirical data support that PIOs' and journalists' divergent attitudes about their professional praxis combine with ideal-type constructions and organizational cultures to produce communication disconnects between the two.

Keywords:

• adaptive structuration
• Habermas
• journalists
• organizational culture
• public information officers
• public relations

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks are extended to Gary Wingenbach, PhD, Professor of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA, for assistance in programming and hosting online data collection instruments.

Notes

1. An analysis of media over five years identified 22 “hot” science, health and technology story topics: air pollution; autism; avian flu; BSE/Mad Cow disease; cancer; climate change/global warming; computer innovations; genetically modified foods; graying of Baby Boomers; hantavirus; heart disease/high blood pressure; Hurricane Katrina; hurricanes/tornados/floods; lead content in toys; population control issues; post-partum depression; post-traumatic stress disorder; robotics; school shootings; stem cell research; women's health issues; and the World Wide Web.

2. A review of relevant scholarly literature on news story sourcing identified 11 source categories: (1) activists not from trade/professional associations; (2) business representatives, not scientists, doctors, engineers; (3) business scientists, doctors, engineers; (4) consumers/members of the public; (5) government, not scientists, doctors, engineers; (6) government scientists, doctors, engineers; (7) state extension, not scientists, doctors, engineers; (8) state extension scientists, doctors, engineers; (9) trade/professional association protagonists; (10) university official sources; and (11) university scientists, doctors, engineers.