Public information officers—the Gazette team thanks you

The goal of local government and the Gazette team of reporters runs parallel most days, in that both aim to serve the best interests of Ocala and Marion County residents.

However, as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black declared in the historic “New York Times Co. v. United States” case: “The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.” And this one distinction is oftentimes where conflict can arise between the Gazette and local government agencies.

Local government employees essentially sign on to be public servants, just like those of us working in local journalism. We too have a thankless job most days and did not sign up for a job that ends in fame or fortune.

Yet, public employees must do the bidding of those elected by the people—and this is where the parallel ends. The press must remain independent enough to inform the public of information that may or may not be complimentary to those in power.

With the decline of local news outlets through the years, you may have noticed local agencies have hired public information professionals to increase their output to the public through social media and other digital channels.

While it’s a great effort to stay connected with the public they serve, the public cannot expect these efforts by individuals working for the government to lift the curtain that shields the production—or share information that would not be flattering to the public officials or even department heads for whom they work and produce content. Yet, it is these same public information officers that Gazette reporters must rely on to obtain the information they need to deliver a clear picture to the public.

There are times while trying to give you independent, balanced reports that we must ask questions that are uncomfortable for a public employee to answer because the information sought after will most likely bring controversy to the government agency they work for.

Sometimes, the public information officer cannot respond at all because of the direction of their superiors. This happens more often than the public might imagine.

We have found that the government agencies that are truly committed to transparency have the most approachable and accommodating public information officers and are run by the most straightforward leaders, open to directly providing answers.

There are many such agencies, but we wanted to use this opportunity to give a shout-out to those superlative public information officers who help make our mission at the Gazette possible.

Ashley Dobbs, who works with the City of Ocala, is straightforward and helpful. She goes the extra mile to direct us to the right person if she can’t find the information.

Marion County Public Information Officer Staci Causey is a true public servant who works hard to quickly and thoroughly respond to each and every inquiry, and most days seems to have all the answers.

Starley Ard, the public information officer for Wesley Wilcox, our Supervisor of Elections, is a true reflection of the open nature of the constitutional officer she serves. She makes sure we have access to Wilcox to answer questions and goes the extra mile to identify ways we can help keep misinformation from getting out to the public.

Ashley Lopez with Ocala Fire Rescue is always helpful and prompt with requests for information or interviews.  She is able to help translate technical language or provide guidance whenever it is asked of her.

There is no doubt, as far as the Gazette team of reporters is concerned, that these professionals are committed to being conduits of information that facilitates transparent government in this community.

For that, we end this year with a public note of thanks. For all the times you responded to a request with a “What’s your deadline?” or “Did you mean this?” or promptly acknowledged our email question with an “I’m on it!”—We thank you!