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● Introduction & Index ● What is PR ● Job Expectations ● Types of Media ● Building Relationships ● Media, Hams & FCC Rules ● The Basic News Release ● Interviews and Live ● Making your own show ● Easy P.R. ● Public Service Events ● Piggy-back to Events ● Pictures NOW! ● P.R. Research Aids ● Making Friends ● ARES® PIO ● Final Exam Information Next Page

Sunshine Laws - All states have one (or more) requiring public notice of government meetings and to be open to the public when formal action is discussed or taken. This also applies to zoning issues and antennas. Freedom of Information - Applies to federal agencies, so probably not an immediate PIO issue. Privacy Act - Permits citizens to see files kept about themselves. Right to Know Act - While many states skirted the intention of this law by setting fees to get the information, this law (Part of SARA Title III - Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act) was a US reaction to chemical disasters in India. Citizens have the right to know the threats in their community and plans being made for emergencies. As you might expect, this information is important in ARES planning, but some jurisdictions are more “difficult” than others about it. Defamation Laws Defamation is injury to someone’s reputation. If the injury is caused by printed word, the defamation is called libel. If the injury is caused by spoken word, the defamation is called slander. Defamation suits usually come from stories in which there is a claim of fraud, bad conduct, dishonesty or moral failure. If hit with a defamation suit, your best defense is to be able to prove your claim is true. Bad Example: “Elmer Fudd is an idiot and shot Bugs Bunny in the butt.” Safer Text: “If Elmer Fudd shot Bugs Bunny in the butt, I think he is an idiot.” HIPAA Law There is a great deal of confusion and controversy over HIPAA regulations. The job of ARES in providing communications for hospitals and the FCC rules about ciphers gets all tangled up in this. But for the PIO the line is much clearer. Simply put, we can see no reason for an ARRL PIO to ever put out information about some individual’s medical condition. There’s no need for it. In a crisis, you CAN say that you were told there were X number of people known injured and where the group went, but nothing about an individual person. Beyond that, you get into dangerous territory quickly.