Share this [7]
In an interview with PR Week, U.S. public diplomacy [8] czar Karen Hughes [9] explains how she began issuing talking points to State Department [10] employees overseas: "I thought, 'What if I were the ambassador somewhere in the world? What's the big story driving news...?' The week I started [as Undersecretary of State [11]], in August 2005, it was Israel's withdrawal from [the Gaza Strip]. I realized that if I were an ambassador, I wouldn't know what to say about that. I spent a day trying to figure out what I should say ... [and] wrote it up and sent it around the world. I was stunned by the reaction. We had probably 20 to 25 e-mails and phone calls saying, 'Can I have more of these?'" Hughes also encouraged PR professionals to support her office: "We've consulted broadly with the private sector. We had the summit with the PR Coalition [12]. I personally have met with a number of public relations executives. We also received permission from a firm, Praxis Media, to use a PR planning tool in our new strategic communications plan [13]."
Links:
[1] http://dev.prwatch.org/users/6/diane-farsetta
[2] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/public-relations/public-diplomacy
[3] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/international
[4] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/public-relations
[5] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/us-government
[6] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/war-peace
[7] http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdev.prwatch.org%2Fspin%2F2007%2F08%2F6320%2Fkaren-hughes-keeps-privatizing-public-diplomacy&linkname=Karen%20Hughes%20Keeps%20Privatizing%20Public%20Diplomacy
[8] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/public_diplomacy
[9] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Karen_Hughes
[10] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/State_Department
[11] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Under_Secretary_of_State_for_Public_Diplomacy_and_Public_Affairs
[12] http://www.prwatch.org/node/5967
[13] http://www.prwatch.org/node/6145
[14] http://www.prweek.com/us/news/article/671821/Hughes-tackles-shaky-image/