Press secretaries work for celebrities, artists, businesses, and even governments. Oftentimes you'll find that the press secretary acts as their client's senior spokesperson as well. Again, this puts the press secretary front and center. A press secretary, then, must be very, very good in public; must know what the public and what the media want to hear; must be extremely good at handling crises of various kinds; must have a deep understanding of how the news works on the television, radio, and in the papers; and, perhaps most importantly, must be able to work long, difficult hours in a job where feelings of anxiety and stress are not uncommon. Then again, as we noted before, the responsibilities of a press secretary are important and exciting. The responsibilities of a press secretary require a person with many talents and abilities. The responsibilities of a press secretary can give that person a feeling of doing something that matters, of being involved in a work that is far-reaching and influential. And there's money in it, too!

Let's take a few examples of what a press secretary might do on a given day.
- Let's say that you, the press secretary, are working for Congresswoman X. Congresswoman X is a Democrat, and is scheduled to give a speech in Utah, a notably Republican state. You, as the press secretary, are going to have to figure out way to help Congresswoman X make a great showing. You, as the press secretary, are going to need to work closely with Utah's news stations and papers in order to generate positive coverage. This means that you'll have to contact reporters personally and craft a news release about Congresswoman X's visit to Utah. A news release plays an important role in a press secretary's responsibilities. In it you will state Congresswoman X's ties to Utah, her love for the state, her knowledge of issues that concern Utah especially, the where and when of her speech, etc. etc. etc. In other words, you're going to put a Utah-friendly, Republican-friendly face on Congresswoman X, while still appealing to her Democratic base.
- Or let's say that you work for a world-famous celebrity, Mr. Y. Things are going along smoothly for Mr. Y; you, the press secretary, handle all his news releases, set up interviews with specific reporters that you want on your side, book him on famous talk shows, get him involved with famous charities, etc. etc. etc. Things are going along smoothly, and then - Mr. Y is overheard making a racist comment. He's not only overheard making a racist comment, his comment is recorded on film. What are you, as Mr. Y's press secretary, going to do? This is your big moment; this is what you've been trained for. First, you might send out press releases to all the major media outlets. You might contact reporters that you've grown close to and ask that they do what they can to minimize the damage to Mr. Y's reputation right away. You'll schedule Mr. Y to publicly apologize as quickly as possible, and in as large a forum as possible (late night talk shows, for example, draw huge audiences). You, as the press secretary, are in full crisis management mode.

These are just a few examples of the many responsibilities of the press secretary. The press secretary plays a vital role in shaping public opinion and helping those who find themselves in the glare of the public spotlight.

For more information on publicity and being a press secretary visit the following links:

http://101publicrelations.com/publicizingproducts.html
http://101publicrelations.com/internet.html