Abstract

The management of information is of special importance in municipal institutions because citizens hear about their local government’s achievement of political objectives through messages identified as public communication. The municipal communication structures are essential in these processes, which are designed to shape positive perceptions of government action. However, these structures have undertaken very few initiatives to examine the treatment of news events in the press. In this paper we present a tool to analyze the media agenda concerning municipal affairs, based on political and administrative management of municipalities, in a context in which the management and evaluation of information is added to the standard functions of the communications office.

Abstract

La comunicación municipal trasciende la simple información sobre servicios públicos, actividades, proyectos o trámites administrativos. Las estrategias comunicativas y de información en el contexto local se orientan hacia los ciudadanos para poner en valor un proyecto municipal compartido en el que éstos se implican como prosumidores en el diseño y desarrollo de estrategias sectoriales vinculadas a las políticas públicas. En consecuencia, los ayuntamientos deben integrar en su estructura una dirección de comunicación que asuma la función de información pública desde la gobernanza, la transparencia y la participación ciudadana proactiva. Desde la primera legislatura democrática en 1979 la evolución y adaptación de sus procesos y rutinas productivas se justifica por la necesidad de configurar una percepción positiva de la acción del gobierno y consolidar su reputación institucional. En este trabajo se realiza una aproximación a la dirección de comunicación municipal basada en los modelos rígidos y estandarizados de los años 80 y 90, para incidir en la revolución actual que representa el paradigma de la comunicación 2.0, la implementación de la web social en el contexto de proximidad y la estrategia de medios sociales.Abstract Municipal communication transcends the simple information about public services, activities, projects, and administrative procedures. Communicative and information strategies in the local context are oriented towards citizens who participate in a shared municipal project in which they are prosumers in the design and development of sectorial strategies linked to public policies. Consequently, city councils must integrate a communication structure that takes advantage of public information from governance, transparency, and proactive citizen participation. Since the first Spanish democratic legislature in 1979 the evolution and adaptation of process and production routines has been justified by the need to shape a positive perception of government action and consolidate their institutional reputation. In this paper an approach to municipal communication, based on the rigid and standardized models of the 80s and 90s, is presented to influence the current revolution that represents the paradigm of communication 2.0, the implementation of the social web in the context of proximity and social media strategy.

Abstract

Municipal communication transcends the simple information about public services, activities, projects, and administrative procedures. Communicative and information strategies in the local context are oriented towards citizens who participate in a shared municipal project in which they are prosumers in the design and development of sectorial strategies linked to public policies. Consequently, city councils must integrate a communication structure that takes advantage of public information from governance, transparency, and proactive citizen participation. Since the first Spanish democratic legislature in 1979 the evolution and adaptation of process and production routines has been justified by the need to shape a positive perception of government action and consolidate their institutional reputation. In this paper an approach to municipal communication, based on the rigid and standardized models of the 80s and 90s, is presented to influence the current revolution that represents the paradigm of communication 2.0, the implementation of the social web in the context of proximity and social media strategy.