Good for you for being upfront with the PIO!

The CAPIO Board of Directors formally adopted a Code of Ethics for its members, developed from the codes of a number of prestigious organizations
ranging from the International City Managers Association to the American Society of Journalists. It addresses the importance of dealing with the public and the media in a fair and appropriate manner and serves as a reminder that PIO’s should make each decision as if it was being viewed by a global audience in real time.

The CAPIO Code of Ethics:

- I will be dedicated to the concepts and principles of democratic government.

- I will affirm the dignity and worth of
public service and continually strive to
maintain the public’s confidence by
serving the public interest and putting
the public trust before all else.

- I will respect the public’s right to know
the public’s business and will strive tp
create and maintain effective relationships
with the media to foster those important communications.

- I will adhere to the highest standards of honesty, accuracy and truth and will be accessible, knowledgeable and credible when speaking for my agency.

- I will never knowingly disseminate false or misleading information and will act promptly to correct errors.

- I will make every attempt to accommodate and educate members of the media by presenting information in a clear and concise fashion.

- I will strive to be the best source of information for my agency and if I do not know the answer to a question, I will find it or find someone who does.

- I will never speculate, guess or lie.

- I will respect privileged information as it protects the public good.

- I will seek no favor and believe that personal gain secured by knowledge of information is dishonest.

- I will take the time to strengthen my individual capabilities, and to encourage lifetime learning and professional development for myself and others.

- In the event of an emergency or other disaster, I will reasonably put the needs of my agency and the community it serves ahead of my personal concerns.

While not *binding* to our agency (or any I know), I do feel it an important benchmark for any Public Information Officer to aspire to.

Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,

Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department

I live in Monrovia. I’ve been following this debacle for months (reading local blogs and finding small tidbits in the local newspapers to piece together events) and am not surprised that it finally erupted in such an ugly manner this past month. What disappoints me is that our city leaders are acting like Richard Nixon caught with the Watergate tapes. While it is easy to blame Dick Singer, I do believe that he reports to the Mayor, Rob Hammond, and the City Manager, Scott Ochoa. My understanding is that these two public “servants” have been particularly reticent to give information to residents. As a tax payer, I find their actions reprehensible.

Anyway, Frazgo, the point is that this should never have been an issue. You should not have had to fight to get information.

I live in Monrovia. I’ve been following this debacle for months (reading local blogs and finding small tidbits in the local newspapers to piece together events) and am not surprised that it finally erupted in such an ugly manner this past month. What disappoints me is that our city leaders are acting like Richard Nixon caught with the Watergate tapes. While it is easy to blame Dick Singer, I do believe that he reports to the Mayor, Rob Hammond, and the City Manager, Scott Ochoa. My understanding is that these two public “servants” have been particularly reticent to give information to residents. As a tax payer, I find their actions reprehensible.

Anyway, Frazgo, the point is that this should never have been an issue. You should not have had to fight to get information.

In a crisis or press conference situation, it is perfectly fine to call on people based on level of audience and past behavior. But nowadays, even sports teams are credentialing reporters from rivals.com to their sports press conferences, which are more controlled than most news conferences. Someone needs to call Fisher out at a City Council meeting during public comment. Fortunately, the allegedly real media generally are OK with bloggers taking pictures of their documents, which is something I have had to do a few times to cover various stories.

Thanks for politely highlighting an issue (and likely an event) that should cause us each to take pause.

Please know that Los Angeles area bloggers are not alone in trying to better understand much less address the challenges (some contrived and some *very* real) that face those on both sides of the informational divide.

While California has specific laws for enhanced media access …and I professionally cannot rely on criteria to differentiate between traditional mainstream press and anyone with a disposable camera or new blogger or wordpress account… I do want b/la readers to know that there is a reason for the generic title of PIO… because our first and middle names merely underscore that it is indeed PUBLIC INFORMATION.

Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,

Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer * (an internal title for the PIO working in the bunker)
Los Angeles Fire Department

I’m trying different stuff, plenty of inane will fill the dull dates. We’re all volunteer here it is about passion for what interests us. For what is worth I have never made a dime off what I post here.