• Public information officers manage news about their organizationsnewspaper image by Christopher Hall from Fotolia.com
  
  A public information officer (PIO) bears responsibility for helping direct the news and information about his organization. While not a "PR" person in the sense that there is little marketing involved, the PIO is a spokesperson for the organization. The PIO maintains relationships with the media and is involved in developing high-level internal communications strategy. The requirements for this job are multi-faceted.
  
  

Education

• A college degree is the minimal educational requirement for a PIO. Typically, PIOs have degrees in communication, journalism or English. Some PIOs have degrees in the field in which they work. A professional who holds a degree in science could be the PIO of a science/technical organization, so long as she is able to communicate the technical aspects of his organization to a lay audience. Masters degrees are often preferred for PIOs.
  
  

Communication

• The PIO writes press releases, opinion pieces for outside publications and website content. In addition, the PIO spends time on the phone with various audiences. Because of these tasks, the PIO must be a strong communicator and have a good understanding of language usage and style guide basics. He must be able to convey messages clearly, whether in writing or orally.
  
  

New Media

• Press releases today are distributed electronically and written with an eye toward search engine optimization. Most important media outlets have prominent Internet presence, so PIOs must know how to contact and maintain relationships with bloggers and other members of these Internet communities. PIOs must know new communication strategies, current time and resource investment strategies, and even new ways of writing that new technology has resulted in.
  
  

Professionalism

• As company spokesperson, a PIO must maintain a professional demeanor, dress and attitude. In addition, a PIO must be conversant in regard to the work of various departments and entities within the organization. A PIO will be expected to communicate extensive knowledge of the organization and its work at a moment's notice.