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Todd McGee said he recently looked into this and found that 55% of people say they <br /> get their news primarily from television; 20% say they get their news online; 10% report <br /> they get the news from hardcopy newspapers; and perhaps 5% get their news from <br /> social media. He noted that the percentage getting news primarily from newspapers <br /> could be higher than 10% as some portion of those getting it online are likely getting it <br /> from newspaper websites. <br /> Commissioner Pelissier asked if there is any data showing how many people follow <br /> national news versus local news. <br /> Todd McGee said surveys he has seen do not differentiate between local and national <br /> news, and he noted the challenge for local governments in making themselves heard in <br /> this environment. <br /> Commissioner Rich said that there are a number of citizens who attend Orange County <br /> meetings and blog from them. She observed that you cannot control their message, <br /> which may not necessarily be the message the Board is trying to convey. The blogs <br /> may just reflect opinion from someone who considers themselves a media person. <br /> Todd McGee said that reflected the power of the Internet— it is important for <br /> commissioners to be aware that is out there, as bloggers may not be following the <br /> ethical rules of journalism. He said that a consideration for commissioners is how they <br /> will treat bloggers. Will they treat them as regular media, providing them with media <br /> packets or a seat in a designated media area. They cannot control what they write, but <br /> if you have a good communication plan in place, you can respond a lot more quickly to <br /> any misinformation they may put out. <br /> Todd McGee referred to the top slide on page 4 of the handout which shows a bar <br /> graph regarding all county responses to the question "who on your staff is/are <br /> responsible for media relations and communications with the public?" Todd McGee <br /> noted that only about 25% of counties have a dedicated Public Information Officer <br /> (PIO) position. Almost half cite the county manager/administrator as having <br /> media/communications responsibilities. <br /> The bottom slide on page 4 of the handout shows responses to the same question for <br /> counties in Orange County's population size range. In this group, nearly 60% have a <br /> dedicated PIO position, and less than 40% rely on the manager/administrator for this <br /> function. <br /> Todd McGee said that with regard to news releases, he believes in a philosophy of <br /> "less is more". If you send out press releases on every issue, he believes that <br /> decreases the likelihood that media will read what you send out. If you limit it to really <br /> important things, they may pay more attention. <br /> Todd McGee said the Knight Foundation did a white paper on "what is needed to have <br /> an effective communications environment". The slide at the top of page 7 of the <br /> handout provides the following list of eight essential elements: <br /> • Government information available online <br /> • Commitment to transparency <br /> • Quality local journalism <br /> • Opportunities for citizens <br /> • Public library <br /> • Ready access to critical community information <br />