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Media Relations Handbook
for Agencies, Associations, Nonprofits and Congress
§ 10.6 Self-Research
One of the most valuable jobs a
congressional press secretary can legally do to help the member's
campaign is to conduct "self-research" on the member. The term
"self-research" is similar to what campaigns do when probing into an
opponent's background, known as "opposition research." This is one
area, if done correctly, that the congressional ethics committees,
outside watchdog groups, and even the media will never
criticize--you're supposed to know your boss's record in Congress.
Press secretaries can compile lists of the member's voting record and
rationales behind positions and votes; organize speeches, statements
or letters; and itemize accomplishments for the congressional district
or state--any type of research that reviews the member's official
activities.
One important ethical and legal note: How that data is used, and the
degree of coordination between the campaign and the congressional
office, may violate ethics rules, and congressional press secretaries
should consult experts if they think they're getting close to the
line. For example, it's perfectly legitimate to provide a constituent,
the campaign staff, or a reporter with the list of the key
environmental votes that the member of Congress has cast in the last
two years. However, if the press secretary spends a Monday afternoon
in the congressional office writing a three-page summary of the
member's environmental record, and that summary is delivered
word-for-word as a campaign direct-mail piece less than a week later,
that might be interpreted as a misuse of official resources.
For more information on the rules and regulations governing the use of
office staff during campaigns, consult The House Committee on
Standards and Official Conduct's "Campaign Booklet," <www.house.gov/ethics/Campaign_booklet.htm>,
and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics' "Ethics Manual," <http://ethics.senate.gov/downloads/pdffiles/manual.pdf>.
Campaigns are another reason why it's important for the press
secretary to concentrate on the basics--create an ongoing research
system that anyone can use, preferably in a computer database, so that
it can be accessed in a variety of ways. The system can be used for a
variety of purposes to assist in the official functioning of the
office, in addition to aiding the campaign, and, therefore, cannot be
viewed as solely created to assist in the re-election effort.
The key components of congressional self-research are:
Voting Record. A complete, searchable record of every vote cast
by the member, with descriptions of the votes in layman's terms. The
CQ (Congressional Quarterly) Weekly has the best terminology
for explaining what the votes mean. Short rationales or accompanying
statements should be prepared for any controversial or important vote.
Bills Introduced and Cosponsored. Tracking bills sponsored by
the member is easy, since most offices thrive on this activity and
keep Congressional Record statements, press releases, and other
related matter. Tracking cosponsored legislation is sometimes a more
difficult challenge. Some bills have hundreds of cosponsors, since
members can easily add their support to any bill introduced and
sometimes do it verbally without notifying staff. While databases
exist (such as <www.congress.gov>)
that easily track co-sponsorships of legislation, identifying the
reason behind a member's decision to cosponsor legislation is another
matter. Occasionally, when fielding a question from the campaign, a
congressional legislative director will shout to the rest of her staff
in a crowded office the question, "Does anyone have the faintest idea
why the congressman cosponsored a bill declaring November the National
Save the Curled-Toe Hippo Month?" The lesson here is: build and track
the legislative record before you get the obscure calls.
Key Positions and Public Statements (Especially Press Clippings).
Often members of Congress will articulate new positions in ad hoc
public meetings or in conferences with newspaper editorial boards.
These statements often result in small-town newspaper articles, and
may be the only time the member has stated his position on this
particular issue. Collecting and cataloguing these statements may be
crucial to defending the member, especially if the opposition gets
hold of these potentially incriminating statements.
Public Schedule. The member's past schedule should be prepared
if anyone questions his activities--especially on days when he might
have missed votes. Ideally, this is kept in a searchable database and
can be catalogued by location, subject category, staff member present,
and participants.
Accomplishments. Press
secretaries and legislative staff should create comprehensive
documents that catalogue the accomplishments of their member of
Congress. Rather than rushing to complete these before each election,
the compilation should be an ongoing collaborative task of the
congressional legislative and press operations. Each accomplishment
should include a brief paragraph describing the accomplishment, with
longer documents created for more important achievements. Each item
should include
or refer to supporting documentation, such as the actual legislation,
official correspondence, or other paper trail that proves the member
actually was responsible for this achievement. Ideally, the hard copy
of the supporting documents should be kept in a single file and the
details should be logged into a searchable database that can be sorted
by subject category, area of the state or community in the
congressional district that benefits from the accomplishment, and
priority to constituents or the member.
"Accomplishments" is probably the most important area of self-research
and the most valuable to the campaign. It is also the one that comes
closest to violating ethics rules and the law. According to
congressional institutional rules and federal law, congressional
offices can use official resources to document the activities of a
member of Congress. However, staff cannot work for the member's
campaign on the taxpayer's dime. Accomplishment memos can be provided
to constituents, the media--even the campaign manager. But, if they are
taken verbatim and turned into campaign literature, the congressional
office and the campaign have crossed the line and opened themselves up
to various investigations and penalties. If congressional press
secretaries create the material that is going to be used verbatim by
the campaign, they must do so on their own time and using their own
resources or the campaign's resources.
There are other research areas related to the member's activities that
campaigns often conduct. Some candidates will hire opposition research
firms to do thorough self-research on themselves--background checks
done just to make sure there's nothing in their records that may
unknowingly spell disaster for their career. Past business dealings,
unusual complaints from disgruntled employees, messy divorce
proceedings, all can be dug up, for a price. And, in tight campaigns,
no price is too high for a hungry opponent
looking for a silver bullet to win a congressional seat. There is a
vast amount of information available in the public record, and some
campaigns will hire private investigators to dig it up. But those
headaches are usually for the campaign press secretary, not the
congressional press secretary.
The key to self-research in a
congressional office is for the press secretary to spot potential
problem areas in the official record--positions that are most likely to
be attacked by an opponent, special-interest group, or the media.
Being prepared to answer the tough questions isn't a misuse of
taxpayer dollars, even if it helps your member's political career--it's
part of your official responsibility to be the expert on every
possible aspect of your member's official activities.
Media Relations
Handbook
By Brad Fitch
Foreword by Mike McCurry
Contributing Author: Beth Gaston
$45
Plus shipping and handling (6% of order, $7.95 minimum).
Ships within 1 business
day
Hardbound: 368 pages
ISBN 10: 1587330032
ISBN 13: 978-1-58733-003-2
LCCN: 2003113070
OCLC: 54982382
Published 2004
Dimensions: 7.2 x 10.25 x
1.1
Weight: 2.1 pounds
Discount for bookstores and classroom use.
VA sales tax added when shipped to VA address.
Publication descriptions and Order form (10-page pdf)
URLs:
www.TheCapitol.Net/Publications/mediarelationsSampSec10_6.html
www.MediaRelationsHandbook.com
Last updated:
January 01, 2008
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