Governmental activity at every level has tremendous daily impact—-positive and negative-—on every kind of organization in the United States. Public affairs units help organizations anticipate or respond to issues affecting their activities or environment, lobby public officials, build grassroots lobbying campaigns, and help shape public policy.

From the other side, government also has a public relations function. Governmental public relations plays a crucial role in keeping the public informed about issues, problems, and actions at all levels of government. Governmental public information officers seek citizen approval of government programs, help explain what citizens want from the government, strive to make government responsive to citizens' wishes, and attempt to understand and affect public opinion. Public relations operatives are pervasive in political campaigns, promoting both public understanding of candidates and candidates' understanding of publics.

"A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it is but a prologue to a farce, or a tragedy or perhaps both."
     —James Madison, President