ARLINGTON, Va. (May 13, 2009) -- More than 500 military and civilian public affairs operators from across the Army met May 4-6 for the 2009 Worldwide Public Affairs Symposium. The goal of the forum was "operationalizing informational engagement."
Associated Press President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Curley took to the stage May 5 to offer his take on the future of media. "We have analyzed the trend and trajectory of media consumers," he said. "Increasingly, the under 30 crowd is turning to social networks for news and information. We don't see people going back to newspapers."
Social networking is the driving force behind major changes in modern communications. At its core, the phenomenon means more and more people will gather information from alternative sources, such as Internet sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Social media was a consistent theme throughout the conference. Army Public Affairs Chief Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner opened the three-day symposium by encouraging attendees to take advantage of the event.
"Equally important is the opportunity to exchange information and ideas with your fellow professionals on current media trends, social media and information engagement," Bergner told his public affairs operators. "Our goal is that you come away better prepared to renew your public affairs efforts on behalf of the greatest Soldiers, Army Civilians and Families in world."
Bergner created a Social Media Division from the ground up within the Office of the Chief of Staff for Public Affairs. "The first step was to establish a presence," he said. "Our next step is to continue creating compelling content."
Army Secretary Pete Geren also gave social-media focused remarks May 4 followed by a question and answer session.
"Strategic communication is vital to military success," he said. "We must recognize that the means of communication change, literally by the minute, and you can never become complacent."
Secretary Geren said the work Army public affairs professionals do in this new arena is "critically important to the success of our Army."
"We have tried to open up the availability of social media, recognizing that we have some constraints with operational security and good order and discipline," Geren said. The secretary said developing guidelines that take security into consideration is vital. "It's a matter of determining acceptable risk," he said.
The Secretary also presented awards to the Army's top military and civilian print and broadcast journalists and rising stars.
Later, Army Deputy Chief Information Officer/G-6 Mike Krieger discussed "managing the polarity between information assurance and information engagement." Krieger said wants to work together with public affairs officials to help meet the Army goal of using social media to communicate.
Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston spoke to the group May 5. He described his Jan. 29 meeting with President Barack Obama, and shared his thoughts on major Army imperatives. The sergeant major also explained the importance of the Year of the Noncommissioned Officer initiatives.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. addressed the symposium on his priorities on information engagement May 5. Panel discussions brought media experts together to discuss future trends as well.
Later, winners of the Army-level community relations awards lined up for a presentation ceremony with Public Affairs Chief Maj. Gen. Bergner.
The Army inducted three public affairs legends into the Public Affairs Hall of Fame. Congressman Ike Skelton, House Armed Services Committee chairman, addressed the banquet Tuesday night to recognize the achievements of the Army's top communicators.
Before closing the three-day session, public affairs operators attended break-out sessions on a variety of topics, such as gauging success in social media engagement.
"The annual conference is an opportunity for all Army communicators to get direction from the Office of the Chief of Staff for Public Affairs, and to network with other professionals," said attendee Steve Morgan, a U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan public affairs specialist. "It was very energizing to see the way ahead."
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