Unravelling government spin
by Emma Masters
While critics may be quick to label government communication as
“spin”, UniSA PhD student Leanne Glenny (pictured right) is taking the
time to reveal the complexities of its function in the federal public sector.
The 2005 recipient of the Donald Dyer Postgraduate Research Scholarship in Public Relations and Communication Management, Glenny’s extensive experience in the Department of Defence, where she worked for 18 years, brings added knowledge and practice to her research.
“I’m looking to extend public relations models and theories of mutuality and social responsibility by looking at the unique environment of the public sector,” Glenny said.
She is talking to a range of people involved in government communications, from public servants, politicians and their staff to the media and interest group representatives.
“I’m mapping the ethical frameworks that underlie the communication activities of public servants and focusing on the extent to which persuasive strategies are accepted as a legitimate form of government communication,” she said.
“On a practical level, the research aims to assist practitioners in determining when persuasion becomes coercion, manipulation or even propaganda.”
Prior to obtaining the Donald Dyer Scholarship, Glenny was a lecturer in public relations and marketing communication at the University of Canberra. She moved to Adelaide with her husband and child to study at UniSA.
The scholarship is made possible by a generous bequest from the late Sylvia Dyer. It recognises the pioneering work of her late husband, Donald Dyer, in establishing the Public Relations Institute of Australia in South Australia.
Applications for the Donald Dyer Scholarship are now open for people with a first class honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant undergraduate field of study.
Last year’s scholarship recipient, Collette Snowden (pictured left), is examining how developments in mobile communications technology are affecting the role of the media, the work of media professionals, and their perception of their role in providing information in contemporary society.
For more information visit www.unisa.edu.au/cppc/DyerScholarship.asp