| “Media Power” represents the extent to which individuals or groups influence the content of media messages relevant to their interests. As mass media are the primary image builders in contemporary society, an ability to shape the contents of media has become central to impression management and public relations. This research documents the extent to which police influence the image of law enforcement—“police performances”—through police media relations offices and public information officers (PIOs). A questionnaire was distributed to municipal police departments nationwide to obtain general information regarding the nature and frequency of police interaction, about the policies dictating police-media relations, and about police perceptions of their department's image within the news. A total of 255 surveys were distributed, yielding a response rate of 76% (194). Information garnered from survey data was used to identify four police departments that served as case studies for an understanding of the political and administrative context within which police-media relations occur. Each department selected differed from the others with regard to its media strategies, public information personnel, staff training in public relations, and perceived quality of its department's media image. Approximately 100 hours of observation was conducted across all sites. Research findings suggest that the quality of a department's media image has little to do with the municipality crime rate and more to do with how departments manage crime news and information. Specifically, departments that do not streamline public information through one official spokesperson only but encourage communication with reporters at all ranks report a more favorable media image. Police training in television appearance skills is similarly significantly associated with a more favorable department image. Finally, the dynamics of police-media relations shift during times of police-involved accidents or scandal. Those departments more familiar with media formats and the news-making process are more adept at making potentially damaging news story quickly disappear. |
