Communications people, please take note

One thing becomes perfectly clear from the recent bad experience in New Orleans. U.S. governments can no longer communicate their way out of a paper bag.

What's the problem?

Well, here's my top-of-mind thought about it.

For the past few years, communications professionals have focused their energies on spinning and weaving and strategizing and manipulating public opinion. They've absorbed the lessons of marketing to such a point that all they talk about these days is messaging and positioning. They craft endless communications plans and strategies in which they worry about key stakeholders, and how these stakeholders will react to their messages. How will the media play the story? What will be the picture of the day? What will the few influential people think, and how will they respond to the event or announcement?

It's all highly political.

How will we look? What will people say? How can we get their attention off the downside and focused on the positive?

There is very little thought put into effective communication of substantive content. There is absolutely no thought given to increasing citizens' understanding and awareness of subjects that are important to them.

In fact, citizens barely exist at all, except as sort of a dimly perceived Greek chorus in their shrivelled roles as voters and taxpayers.

An informed electorate? Surely you jest. A manipulated, spun and strategically positioned electorate would be more like it.

Call me naive if you wish, but I believe this is inappropriate behaviour from a supposedly impartial civil service that receives its paycheques from the public - not from whatever political party that may be in power at this particular time.

My prescription for the problems that assailed the New Orleans experience? Fire all those government communications people -- the old whores -- who have forgotten they serve the public. Hire talented folks who are focused on providing accurate, relevant information to the public, in a form the public can understand and act upon. Constantly remind them that it is the public who pays their salaries, not the gang of politicos who happen to be in office that day.

And for God's sake, let's recall that effective communications is a fundamental duty of government. It has nothing to do with making the government look good. And it's sure as hell not another form of marketing.