Public Diplomacy Council of America newsletter
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May 21 2024
New Insights from the Public Diplomacy Laboratory, Public Diplomacy Council of America
by Joe B. Johnson
When I was a college senior, I would have jumped at the chance to advise the Department of State on its public communication. Now, Anthony Wayne, a PDCA member and Diplomat in Residence at American University’s School of International Service, has enabled some of his students to do just that as part of State’s Diplomacy Lab.
Diplomacy Lab, launched by State in 2013, is a public-private partnership with more than sixty U.S. colleges and universities to sponsor research around various Department-identified topics. It is part of the Office of Global Partnerships, where State engages with outside entities in many ways.
Influencers and public diplomacy …
When Amb. Wayne put me in touch with his six seniors at SIS as one source for their project, I was skeptical. Their topic focused on the use of "Influencers" as part of U.S. public diplomacy. Their client was the Global Public Affairs Bureau (GPA). This area, which has not been spelled out in Department manuals, is much discussed by practitioners who seek to project policy messages through independent voices. I asked myself:
• What are the ethical guardrails that separate legitimate local partnerships from deceptive “sock puppetry"?
• Is this topic too difficult for college seniors with limited practical experience?
The team interviewed a number of sources including PDCA members and some of my former colleagues on the Foreign Service Institute’s training staff. More importantly, they conducted extensive desk research, which shows in their comprehensive report.
The report begins with a general survey of PD, citing 63 sources in a literature review. The team endorses a comprehensive approach incorporating messaging with cultural programs and other PD elements. It upholds transparency and two-way communication. And it describes the alignment of messages, goals and audiences that characterizes effective programs.
After reviewing 2,849 media releases to ascertain themes (security, economic policies and social justice) reflecting the Department’s most important priorities and to identify milestone events, the team went online to find the most effective influencers for specific topics and events, and even provided pitches to propose partnerships. They did the same for specific taskings by GPA like the NATO Summit and migration and refugees. Their descriptions of potential partners with large online followings makes for a fascinating read.