Air Force Public Affairs: The Four Models of Public Relations and Excellence in Public Relations

Based on the historical development of public relations, four models press agentry, public information, two-way asymmetric, and two-way symmetric were identified. Research suggests that federal government practitioners practiced public information. Recently, a team of public relation scholars identified characteristics of excellence in public relations programs. The purpose of this research is to identify which model of public relations is used most frequently in the Air Force and to determine if the characteristics of excellence are present in Air Force programs. This study is a quantitative analysis of Air Force public affairs. Questionnaires were mailed to 277 public affairs officers 187 were returned, 175 were acceptable. The questionnaire contained statements that describe public affairs actions and behaviors representing the models. It also included questions relating to the characteristics of excellence.