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THE MEDIA
is to help explain government policies to the people on the one hand and reflect public opinion to the departments concerned on the other. The division's role is similar to that of the City District Office, but instead of making direct contact with individuals, it concentrates on newspapers, television and radio.
More than 20 Chinese newspapers are examined every day by the division. Major news items and other reports on public affairs are surveyed, translated into English and published in a two-page tabloid newspaper, the GIST, which is circulated to government officials the same day. A weekly review of Chinese Press comment, called Opinion, is prepared in English for circulation to some 200 senior government officers. The division also draws the attention of government departments to letters published in the correspondence columns of newspapers. In addition, special research papers are produced to keep senior levels of the government advised on issues that arouse strong public debate.
The division also produces material for a weekly television programme that reviews editorial comment in the Chinese Press. This is shown on the English networks so that members of the community who do not read Chinese can keep abreast of local opinion expressed through Chinese newspapers.
Hong Kong Chinese living abroad, and Hong Kong seamen serving in various parts of the world are kept informed of events in Hong Kong by a 12-page fortnightly news- paper in Chinese, the Hong Kong News Digest. This is compiled in the division and 33,000 copies of each edition are distributed free overseas.
During the year, an Overseas Public Relations Section was established to help visiting journalists and film teams, and to liaise with journalists overseas.
Departmental Units
Much progress has been made in establishing departmental units to improve the flow of information to the Press and to promote closer relations with the public.
There are now units functioning in 15 departments - Agriculture and Fisheries, Civil Aviation, Trade, Industry and Customs, Education, Fire Services, Housing, Labour, Medical and Health, New Territories Administration, Police, Prisons, Public Works, Social Welfare, Transport, and Urban Services. There also is a unit to service the various branches of the Government Secretariat, and an officer in the Security Branch to co-ordinate Press and publicity activities for anti-narcotics work. An information officer also has been added to the staff of the UMELCO Office.
Some of these units have been, or are being, expanded in the larger departments where a fuller range of Press and publicity services is required to develop work in the information field. The emphasis of work depends on the different type of service the department provides. Generally, it includes answering Press inquiries, issuing Press releases, arranging Press interviews, co-ordinating publicity activities, providing public relations courses for departmental staff and preparing specialised publications. The units also contribute to the publicity effort overseas by preparing feature articles on subjects of international interest.
The centralised resources of GIS are available at all times to departmental units, which receive help in arranging Press facilities, publicity campaigns, exhibitions and displays, and production of publications and films.