Gov't spends billions on PR firms to promote itself https://t.co/MEwYz9fAFw
— HJTA.org (@HJTA) February 19, 2016
More than $4.3 billion in taxpayer money has been spent on public relations since 2007, according to Open the Books.
About half of that money goes to private-sector PR firms.
One global PR firm, Ketchum, charges the federal government $88 an hour for the work of an intern.
It's not alone. Other firms are billing more than $40, $50 and $60 an hour for interns
“What we found was, quite frankly, stunning,” Andrzejewski said.
...From travel warnings and health updates about the Zika virus, to the Department of Homeland Security's "See something, say something" anti-terrorism campaign, to Smokey Bear, Stier said public affairs officers are a vital part of government.
“There are a lot of ways in which, if the government doesn’t do a good job of putting information out in an interesting way, then the public won’t really understand it,” Stier said.
Of the 10 government agencies that spend the most on public affairs, none would agree to an on-camera interview, although several sent written statements.
