The area of public relations known as public affairs refers to the activities surrounding the management of the communication and interactions between governmental bodies and private enterprise or between governmental organizations and the public. In general, public affairs is the area of public relations that deals with communicating information the public has a right to know. Public affairs resides somewhere at the intersection of government, business, the media, and politics.

Public affairs includes the areas of public policy, lobbying, and public administration. Public affairs campaigns can include starting grassroots movements, lobbying for certain issues or movements, crisis communication, advocacy and public opinion research, community involvement, media relations and much more.

Public affairs activities range from the identification and analysis of threats and opportunities in the public policy environment to the development of a planned response to these risks. Public affairs involves an organization's communicative response in an attempt to influence these policies. It also involves an organization's reactions to these policies.

Many private sector organizations will at some point have business goals that will require public sector involvement to move forward. If you manage a business, you may need to deal with governmental and public sector organizations. There are many complex regulations and requirements involved in these kinds of relationships. Because of this complexity of these interactions, it may be in your organization's best interests to hire an expert.

If you're working to meet regulatory requirements, create a more favorable environment for your business or industry, or trying to figure out how to leverage government incentives, it can help to have someone with extensive experience working with you. If you're interested in managing public affairs for your organization, contact anthonyBarnum Public Relations.