Specialty Summary. Plans, organizes, coordinates, and conducts internal, community relations, and media relations communications activities. Engages in print and broadcast journalism, to include writing, editing and publishing base newspapers, periodicals, guides, pamphlets, fact sheets, and radio and television scripts. Uses audiovisual resources to support public affairs activities. Prepares and releases news for internal and civilian media, arranges, conducts tours, and conducts community relations activities. Researches and writes speeches.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Prepares, edits, and distributes public affairs program material. Determines best medium and message content to reach target audiences. Designs coordinated multimedia programs on topics of timely concern to management. Advises commanders at all levels and their staffs on the internal, media relations, and community relations implications of plans, policies, and programs. Applies communication theory and techniques to public affairs activities for more effective resource use. Provides means for two-way communication flow within the total communication environment. Establishes, promotes, and maintains the unit public affairs program to provide the widest coverage of unit-level policies, programs, and missions.
Prepares and releases news for internal and civilian media. Establishes procedures for collecting, evaluating and distributing news and feature items. Plans layout and makeup, and arranges for printing base newspapers, periodicals, and guides. Writes and edits news, features, editorials, and other types of articles, and rewrites copy. Reviews material for compliance with local and Air Force policy and operational security.
Maintains liaison with civilian media. Receives queries for news media, obtains information, coordinates answers, and gives response to news media. Establishes personal contact with local and regional news media. Receives visiting news media, makes arrangements for interviews, provides briefings, and escorts media representatives. Assists with news conferences, and sets up and operates media center for contingency operations. Writes and maintains accident and other contingency plans. Responds to accidents and incidents in a public affairs capacity. Supports Army and Air Force Home Town News Center program.
Conducts community relations activities. Maintains liaison with local and regional civic leaders, local and regional government agencies, veterans and civic organizations, retirees, Reserve components, Air Force recruiters, and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and Civil Air Patrol units. Develops promotional material on military events of interest to surrounding civilian communities. Prepares material for presentation before civic groups, and arranges for and assists military speakers. Plans base tours, orientations and open houses for local community members.
Specialty Qualifications:
Knowledge. Knowledge is mandatory of: English composition, grammar, and spelling; research methods; interview techniques; regulations and directives concerning release of information; news writing; news editing; newspaper production; basic communication theory; and military-community relations techniques and practices.
Education. For entry into this specialty, completion of high school or general educational development equivalency is mandatory.
Training. For award of AFSC 3N031, completion of the basic public affairs course is mandatory.
Experience. The following experience is mandatory for award of the AFSC indicated:
3N051. Qualification in and possession of AFSC 3N031. Also, experience in newspaper or radio and television news writing, editing, and production; reporting; and research.
3N071. Qualification in and possession of AFSC 3N051. Also, experience performing or supervising functions such as writing and editing periodicals, writing news and feature stories for release to civilian media, or military-community relations.
Other. The following is mandatory as indicated. For entry into this specialty: Ability to type 20 wpm. For entry, award, and retention of these AFSCs, absence of any speech impediment, and ability to real aloud and speak distinctly. For award and retention of AFSCs 3N051/71must maintain an Air Force Network License according to AFI 33-115, Vol 2, Licensing Network Users and Certifying Network Professionals.
