Skip to main content

U.S. Public Diplomacy: Actions Needed to Improve Strategic Use and Coordination of Research

GAO-07-904 Published: Jul 18, 2007. Publicly Released: Jul 18, 2007.
Jump To:
Skip to Highlights

Highlights

U.S. strategic communication efforts are supported by media and audience research efforts conducted by the State Department (State), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), Department of Defense (DOD), and Open Source Center (OSC). GAO examined (1) how research is used to support U.S. strategic communication objectives; and (2) how agencies identify end-user needs, assess end-user satisfaction, and share available research. GAO examined program documents and met with key officials.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of State To help State adopt a more strategic approach to its communication efforts, including the strategic use of research, the Secretary of State should formally endorse and adopt a research-based campaign-style approach to thematic communications.
Closed – Implemented
In early 2010, the State Department began rolling out a new approach to public diplomacy and strategic communication. The basic tenets of this approach are summarized in Leading Through Civilian Power: The First Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) and adopted in Public Diplomacy: Strengthening U.S. Engagement with the World, A Strategic Approach for the 21st Century. The goals of this approach include developing proactive outreach strategies to better inform, inspire, and persuade foreign audiences; strengthening people-to-people relationships; combating violent extremism; better informing foreign policy decisions; and deploying resources in line with priorities.
Department of State To help State adopt a more strategic approach to its communication efforts, including the strategic use of research, the Secretary of State provide public diplomacy staff with written guidance and related training on the campaign-style approach, as well as how to identify and use actionable research to support these efforts.
Closed – Implemented
In early 2010, the State Department began rolling out a new approach to public diplomacy and strategic communication. The basic tenets of this approach are summarized in Leading Through Civilian Power: The First Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR). More guidance is found in Public Diplomacy: Strengthening U.S. Engagement with the World, A Strategic Approach for the 21st Century. The goals of this approach include developing proactive outreach strategies to better inform, inspire, and persuade foreign audiences; strengthening people-to-people relationships; combating violent extremism; better informing foreign policy decisions; and deploying resources in line with priorities. Since that time, the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs has provided more than 75 briefings on this new approach to its public affairs officers. This office is currently working with the Foreign Service Institute to develop a strategic communications course for public affairs officers. The course outline includes training on developing a strategic communications plan and methods on how to use audience research and apply it to a post's strategic communications goals.
Open Source Center To help ensure that the government's research efforts meet the needs of users, we recommend that State, BBG, DOD, and OSC implement systematic strategies to assess user needs and satisfaction.
Closed – Implemented
CIA's Open Source Center (OSC) launched a Public Diplomacy initiative to provide strategic communicators in the White House and State Department with "master narrative" reports that capture historically-grounded stories reflecting a foreign community?s identity and experiences as well as explain its hopes, aspirations, and concerns. The narratives provide some structure in understanding why foreign audiences believe stories that, from an American perspective, may appear surprising, contradictory, or outlandish. The process for identifying subjects for these reports demonstrates OSC's strategic approach to assessing user needs and satisfaction in the area of public diplomacy. To date, reports have been published on Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Iran. These countries were selected in consultation with U.S. government public diplomacy agencies, and timing of publication for the reports was keyed to the President's travel schedule and key foreign policy initiatives. OSC regularly consults senior White House staff responsible for global engagement, State Department public diplomacy officials, and socio-cultural studies leaders at the US military commands to learn their priorities for master narrative reports, as well as their reaction. In addition, OSC receives feedback on the reports from other interested parties in the U.S. government through comments posted on its web site (www.opensource.gov) where the reports reside.
Department of Defense To help ensure that the government's research efforts meet the needs of users, we recommend that State, BBG, DOD, and OSC implement systematic strategies to assess user needs and satisfaction.
Closed – Implemented
Assessing Department of Defense-user foreign media analysis was a core task of the Quadrennial Defense Review Strategic Communication Roadmap. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, the Joint Staff, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs surveyed combatant commands' foreign media analysis uses, needs, and structures. In January 2008, the Deputy Secretary of Defense notified Congress that the Strategic Communication Roadmap was complete. The Roadmap was intended to provide strategic direction, a plan of action, and milestones to close strategic communication capability gaps. In August 2008, the Department of Defense initiated a review of its previous directive on public affairs operations to formalize communication analysis, assessment, and evaluation policy. In February 2011, the order was reissued, and the revised directive establishes Department policy of including formal user assessments in its communication activities.
Department of State To help ensure that the government's research efforts meet the needs of users, we recommend that State, BBG, DOD, and OSC implement systematic strategies to assess user needs and satisfaction.
Closed – Implemented
The State Department's Policy Coordinating Committee/Subcommittee on Analysis, Research, and Polling, established in 2007, has taken steps to improve coordination of U.S. government research activities and the promotion of information sharing. Chaired by State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), these meetings bring together 15-25 representatives of U.S. government agencies with an interest in overseas public opinion, market, and audience research. According to State and BBG officials, strong relationships have been formed since that time with a process that continues to improve coordination, data sharing, and a more systematic approach to assessing user needs. In addition, five interagency in-depth analyses (known as "deep dives") focusing on specific countries (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen) have been conducted in the past year, and more are planned. Deep dives are intended for strategic communication practitioners. The goal is to bring together as much current research as possible and deliver concrete takeaways to inform strategic communication strategies. These deep dive meetings are also steps toward reviving the formal structure for research coordination at the subcommittee level and continuing to assess the needs of interagency stakeholders and their satisfaction with this in-depth country approach.
U.S. Agency for Global Media To help ensure that the government's research efforts meet the needs of users, we recommend that State, BBG, DOD, and OSC implement systematic strategies to assess user needs and satisfaction.
Closed – Implemented
The BBG has taken steps to improve audience data dissemination for internal agency stakeholders and has been systematically looking at ways to serve them and the needs of interagency colleagues at the Department of State and other agencies. The BBG is currently experimenting with a hosted, shareable data system developed by its primary research contractor (InterMedia) that provides a web-based data-query tool, populated with BBG audience data. Over the past year, BBG has examined designs for the creation of a web-based data portal with multiple levels of access. Although a version has existed within BBG for some years to directly support its research and analysis staff, the current system lacks the interactivity and dynamic structure that multiple users within multiple agencies would require. In order to assess the need and develop more specifics about the type of solution required, the BBG took five steps in 2010 and early 2011: 1. Conducted formal and professionally moderated focus groups among staff across BBG and its broadcasters about their experience with using BBG audience data. 2. Tested in-house web-based data-query tool for strengths and weaknesses. 3. Continued to communicate with colleagues on the interagency working group, which the BBG co-chairs, on their preferred methods and formats for receiving audience data. 4. Conducted regular meetings between BBG Research Manager and the BBG information technology staff responsible for enterprise knowledge management systems. 5. Conducted regular market research meetings with private industry and governmental solutions experts to learn about technical options and best practices. According to the BBG, these steps have provided new insight, but the agency is still refining the specific technical parameters of a system for its own and for interagency use. Accordingly, the BBG issued a requirement for a robust needs assessment and technical plan for a web-based, interactive data portal in its July 2011 solicitation for procurement of a new global research contract. Proposals are currently under review. It is expected that a new research contract will be issued in fiscal year 2012, with the goal of having a user-friendly, interactive data portal for BBG global audience and market data provisioned within a year.
Department of State To improve the coordination of U.S. government research activities and promote the sharing of information across agencies, the Secretary of State should direct the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, in conjunction with other members of the Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy Policy Coordinating Committee, to develop interagency protocols regarding the sharing of audience research information, including establishing a forum that would bring audience research staff together on a regular basis to discuss plans and concerns across all topics of interest.
Closed – Implemented
The State Department's Policy Coordinating Committee/Subcommittee on Analysis, Research, and Polling, established in 2007, has taken steps to improve coordination of U.S. government research activities and the promotion of information sharing. Chaired by State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), these meetings bring together 15-25 representatives of U.S. government agencies with an interest in overseas public opinion, market, and audience research. According to State and BBG officials, strong relationships have been formed since that time with a process that continues to improve coordination and data sharing. In addition, five interagency in-depth analyses (known as "deep dives") focusing on specific countries (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen) have been conducted in the past year, and more are planned. Deep dives are intended for strategic communication practitioners. The goal is to bring together as much current research as possible and deliver concrete takeaways to inform strategic communication strategies. These meetings are also steps toward reviving the formal structure for research coordination at the subcommittee level.
Department of State To improve the coordination of U.S. government research activities and promote the sharing of information across agencies, the Secretary of State should direct the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, in conjunction with other members of the Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy Policy Coordinating Committee, to develop an electronic clearinghouse of U.S. government audience research that could be accessed by staff throughout State, USAID, DOD, and BBG, including BBG grantees. A key component of this clearinghouse should be the body of research about audiences and media environments collected in BBG's Strategic Audience Research Archive. In developing this clearinghouse, OSC's model for sharing media monitoring information should be considered.
Closed – Not Implemented
While the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has taken steps to improve audience data dissemination for internal agency stakeholders and share information with other U.S. government agencies, the State Department and the BBG have not yet developed an electronic clearinghouse of U.S. government research that could be accessed by staff throughout State, USAID, DOD, and the BBG and its grantees. The BBG is currently experimenting with a hosted, shareable data system developed by its primary research contractor (InterMedia) that provides a web-based data-query tool, populated with BBG audience data. Over the past year, BBG has examined designs for the creation of a web-based data portal with multiple levels of access. Although a version has existed within BBG for some years to directly support its research and analysis staff, the current system lacks the interactivity and dynamic structure that multiple users within multiple agencies would require. The BBG is still refining the specific technical parameters of a system for its own and for interagency use. Accordingly, the BBG issued a requirement for a robust needs assessment and technical plan for a web-based, interactive data portal in its July 2011 solicitation for procurement of a new global research contract. Proposals are currently under review. It is expected that a new research contract will be issued in fiscal year 2012, with the goal of having a user-friendly, interactive data portal for BBG global audience and market data provisioned within a year. According to the BBG, the development of a more comprehensive portal, including data from other U.S. government agencies, would require additional funding and staffing resources. The interagency research working group has expressed a desire to move in this direction.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that officials from the Office of Support to Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs follow through on plans to develop a new approach to guide the department's media monitoring activities, including working to improve coordination of this work both within the department and with other U.S. agencies.
Closed – Implemented
Assessing Department of Defense-user foreign media analysis was a core task of the Quadrennial Defense Review Strategic Communication Roadmap. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, the Joint Staff, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs surveyed combatant commands' foreign media monitoring and analysis uses, needs, and structures. In January 2008, the Deputy Secretary of Defense notified Congress that the Strategic Communication Roadmap was complete. The Roadmap was intended to provide strategic direction, a plan of action, and milestones to close strategic communication capability gaps. In August 2008, the Department of Defense initiated a review of its previous directive on public affairs operations to formalize communication analysis, assessment, and evaluation policy. In February 2011, the order was reissued, and the revised directive establishes Department policy of including formal user assessments in its communication activities. In addition, DOD's Support to Public Diplomacy Office has been working with DOD components and Open Source Center (OSC) staff to make the OSC the focal point for U.S. government foreign media monitoring and analysis efforts. This office is also working with the Department of State and others to consolidate research and polling data.

Full Report

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

Communication systemsInteragency relationsInternal controlsInternational relationsPublic diplomacyReporting requirementsResearch and developmentStrategic planningInternational broadcastingRadio