In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proactive communication-centric approach, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley asked officials on Monday to harness the power of social media, while avoiding propaganda, to enhance communication.
Addressing officials and private secretaries of various Ministers at a workshop, he said the changed communication landscape offered the government a “tremendous opportunity” to disseminate “credible, factual, relevant and reader-friendly information” to a large number of people who required authentic information from the government.
The workshop, “Streamlining government communication,” was organised by the Press Information Bureau under the aegis of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
Mr. Jaitley said the “nature and character” of news dissemination had undergone a massive change because of the challenges posed by 24x7 television, and the camera had emerged as the “prime mover for defining content and setting the agenda.” Asking officials to refrain from indulging in propaganda, he said the job of a government official was to put out credible information.
He urged government departments to make the optimum use of their websites and social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and blogs.
Minister of State for I&B Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said new communication perspectives were driven by speed, accuracy, brevity and clarity of thought, and underscored the need for using new tools of communication such as perception management for enhancing outreach.
Prasar Bharti Board chairperson A. Surya Prakash slammed TV news channels, calling them “anchor-driven entertainment channels.” He said Doordarshan was the only genuine news channel.
