2010 - Public Relations Society of America
2010 - Public Relations Society of America
2010 - Public Relations Society of America
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Research. A key area <strong>of</strong> CTFK’s website is the “Research and Facts” section. This area<br />
provides users with a wealth <strong>of</strong> information that is thorough and covers a variety <strong>of</strong> topics,<br />
issues, types <strong>of</strong> resources including fact sheets, special reports, tobacco political action<br />
committee contributions, and web resources. This research has either been conducted directly by<br />
the CTFK or it has compiled secondary research into usable formats.<br />
The research covers a range <strong>of</strong> topics from exposing tobacco industry tactics, to policy<br />
statements regarding the FDA legislation, cigarette taxes, smoke-free workplaces, and spending<br />
on tobacco prevention and cessation program. This research is to be used by a wide variety <strong>of</strong><br />
people, including the press. Out <strong>of</strong> the 124 articles analyzed from the Lexis-Nexis search, 36<br />
specifically relied on and quoted research from the CTFK. These articles did not include specific<br />
quotes from individuals, only the information from the research. The press has identified the<br />
research developed by CTFK as a credible source for information on tobacco control issues.<br />
CTFK’s research focus is demonstrated by Novelli, board <strong>of</strong> directors chair:<br />
You can’t be an advocate without good policy research and analysis. So that was part <strong>of</strong><br />
our structure from day one. We had to have that. It wasn’t that we had to do all original<br />
research, far from it, but we had to be synthesizers <strong>of</strong> research, packagers <strong>of</strong> research,<br />
promoters <strong>of</strong> research and then we were doing our own research in terms <strong>of</strong> polling,<br />
message testing and things like that.<br />
Not only does CTFK do research on issues, but they also develop message testing and<br />
research on its communication tactics prior to implementation. Spivak stated, “we do focus<br />
groups, we do polling, we understand what resonates with people, and we spend the money to<br />
make sure we know what resonates with people and then we use it.”<br />
Integrated with other departments. Sometimes communication departments may<br />
operate separately from other departments and only coordinate when needed. That is not the<br />
case with CTFK. The communication team is integrated into meetings and decision-making on<br />
campaigns and efforts with the other departments through participation on task forces. The<br />
message development is developed through a “kind <strong>of</strong> an interdepartmental decision making<br />
process. Everybody has a hand in it” according to Spivak.<br />
This idea was echoed in the statements <strong>of</strong> Fisher, vice president <strong>of</strong> state issues, as well:<br />
We’re a very collegial group. Obviously we have an org chart and there are lines <strong>of</strong><br />
authority and so forth… It’s not just my state team with the advocacy department that is<br />
working on state issues. It’s the research team and the communications team, everybody,<br />
we all work across it, everybody’s involved to achieve all <strong>of</strong> those goals.<br />
Hutchinson said that the “international people come pick our brains…[asking] well what<br />
do you guys do in the states to get around something like this? We have this wealth <strong>of</strong><br />
information to share with our newer folks who are doing similar things internationally…we’re all<br />
very interconnected.” However, the feeling is not necessarily mutual coming from the<br />
international department. Yin, associate director <strong>of</strong> international communication, stated, “we<br />
(the international division) try very hard to communicate and learn the best practices from the<br />
domestic part. But…the international staff travels so much and are so busy that people don’t do<br />
enough communication and learning and experience sharing.” She goes on to talk about how she<br />
hopes this changes in the future.<br />
Activists Influencing Social Movements Through Communication<br />
Based on the definition developed by Diani (1992) that a social movement is “a process<br />
whereby several different actors, be they individuals, informal groups and/or organisations, come<br />
to elaborate, through either joint action or communication, a shared definition <strong>of</strong> themselves as<br />
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