The Government spokesperson and Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Victor Chan Chi Ping, said today (March 15) that the press spokesperson system has become one of the important channels for the SAR government to effectively communicate with the media and the public. It depends on the media’s support and participation, to ensure news on the administration is successfully conveyed to the public.

The Office of the Government Spokesperson and the Government Information Bureau

jointly organised by a gathering this afternoon, attended by some 80 participants, including heads and representatives of local media organisations and associations, overseas correspondents in Macao, and press coordinators of government secretariat offices. During the party, Mr Chan explained the government’s efforts to provide news releases and the outlook concerning new challenges, and listened to the opinions and suggestions from the industry.

At the beginning of his speech, Mr Chan expressed his appreciation for support from the media, which is vital for the successfully releasing government information. He said the Office of the Government Spokesperson and the Government Information Bureau coordinated with each other in the past year, to support information teams at secretariat and bureau levels. Organising seminars and exchanges and the development of guidelines for the government information release mechanism also helped to enhance professional standards at departmental levels, and continued optimising the press spokesperson system.

He added that the Office of the Government Spokesperson and the Government Information Bureau have spared no effort to support the media, such as through coordinating officials to take part in TV and radio phone-in programmes, assisting media interviews, releasing news stories and photos, setting up media centres at major events to support local and foreign journalists, supporting media training to enhance industry standards, funding media development to strengthen competitiveness, and offering healthcare plans to journalists.

The Government Information Bureau is also committed to providing new media services, and keeping pace with the most recent development trends. According to Mr Chan, besides launching electronic publications, the bureau activated its overseas WeChat subscription account, and issued 470 notifications with 220,000 hits recorded so far. The bureau’s mainland China WeChat account is also on trial, targeting certification being granted this year.

It is also worth noting that last year the bureau began producing text and image packs on important administrative issues, for distribution through new media platforms. These were extensively used in news reporting. The bureau also provides rich content via YouTube, including clips of interviews with principal officials as well as “soft news” feature stories.

At the end of his speech, Mr Chan said there is still room for improvement. Looking ahead, the press spokesperson system will continue to be optimised, internal communication and coordination should be strengthened, the prompt response mechanism should be enhanced, training for officials should be intensified, and professionalism should be elevated. As multimedia should be better utilised for information releases, officials at all levels are encouraged to make use of different platforms to explain government policies and measures in a simple and understandable way.

Mr Chan also stressed that the government will continue to maintain effective communication and interaction with local and overseas media. Press gatherings will be organised from time to time, to exchange with the industry the most up-to-date development trends, with the aim of promoting development of the media industry.