CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – Iraqi public information officers and media members gathered to train in various public affairs tactics and techniques during the Basra Public Information Officer Workshop held Aug. 17 and 18 at Contingency Operating Base Basra.
The workshop, which gave the public information officers a review of their basic tools to communicate, was presented by the 34th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office.
The participants were presented various scenarios then encouraged to discuss possible outcomes and issues that may arise while reaching solutions.
Participants were encouraged to think of ways they could obtain information from the government and how to utilize the information they receive.
“Today, we brought reporters together with all the public information officers of Basra for them to ask each other questions about their responsibilities,” said Mike Sunshine, the Basra Provincial Reconstruction Team public diplomacy officer. “We wanted them to brainstorm ways in which they can obtain information from their government, which has historically withheld information.”
Sunshine said they wanted to give them an understanding of what their jobs as public information officers are within a democratic system.
“We are simply facilitators for this exercise,” he said, “we are not telling them what to do or what to say. This was simply an open invitation and everyone accepted. It was overwhelming in terms of their interest in it.”
During the first day of the gathering, Sunshine said the PRT and public affairs officials had a schedule of events, but halfway through the participants decided they wanted to continue discussing scenarios given to them so they could expand on what they were learning.
“It is a total participatory exercise,” Sunshine said, “we had a very low profile since we are just facilitating this workshop.”
“This is all new and different for them,” he added, “to be brought together in a group to understand what a reporter’s expectations from the government should be and what the role of a public information officer is.”
“It has been tremendously successful to this point,” he said, “and they have conducted themselves in a professional and articulate way, with calm and wisdom.”
