Managing Social Communication. Analysis of Media Relations Activities of Polish Police Press Officers

Abstract The foundation of the social communication system of the Polish police is the press officers of district and city departments, who maintain regular contact with journalists of local and regional media, and incidentally also with national or international mass media. The aim of the 2022 survey was to determine the media relations activities, techniques and tools used by officers. All press officers in the police garrison in the Silesian Voivodeship participated in the research project. 100% of press officers took part in the survey. Responding to the expectations of journalists police officers prefer direct contact with journalists, including 52% by phone. Although press officers consider social media to be a good method of contacting the public (30%), they do not use it themselves in contacts with journalists. They prefer to use the official police website (28%). Police spokesmen, due to the information they have, gain the attention of the mass media and do not have to use modern communication techniques to attract journalists. Maintaining constant contact with journalists, press officers also assessed the level of their professionalism. According to the respondents, TV journalists are characterized by the highest professionalism (41%). In second place are press and radio journalists with a similar number of indications (27% and 24%). The professionalism of Internet editorial staff was rated the worst (8%).