JCOPE Seeking A Communications Assistant

JCOPECurtainThe Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), the state’s ethics and lobbying regulator, is seeking someone to serve as the agency’s Communication’s Assistant/Press Aide.

According to the job posting, the person hired for this position will handle initial media or other inquires; draft press releases; research and develop information for responses to inquires; and assist with compiling publicly available records conforming to record requests from the media and members of the public.

It is good that JCOPE is looking to bolster its communications efforts.  As of this writing, JCOPE has issued just six press releases in 2016.

But what appears to be missing from JCOPE’s job posting is any indication that the agency plans to take advantage of social media tools to educate the regulated community about JCOPE’s work and the laws that it is tasked with interpreting, administering and enforcing.

The New York City Conflicts of Interest Board (NYC COIB), which has an active Twitter presence through its COIB Daily Dose (@NYCCOIB), offers a very good example of how an ethics agency can use social media to advance its mission.  Hopefully, JCOPE will begin to take advantage of social media tools as well.