HIGH STAKES, LOW TRUST: Government Public Relations

While many institutions seek to influence public health and social change, government entities are uniquely positioned in both power and potential consequences given their missions, resources, and authority. Digital and social media have disrupted and evolved government’s traditional communication processes—bringing new challenges, channels, and complexities for engaging with the public. In the U.S., public trust in government remains at historically low levels while misinformation and complexity continue to rise. Given these barriers, a relational approach to strategic government communication offers the optimal chance to ethically and effectively navigate these turbulent waters. To that end, this chapter first defines and conceptualizes government public relations. The chapter overviews relevant government public relations research on topics such as the public health context, risk and crisis communication, and social media management. It recommends a relational approach to carry out ethical, effective government communication. Finally, the chapter concludes with discussion questions that allow readers to explore and apply lessons and concepts from the chapter.