COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
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visitors programme, the sponsored speakers programme is run by the Information Co- ordinator's Office. Under this, arrangements are made for senior government officials and prominent local personalities to address targetted audiences, including editorial boards of the overseas press. These programmes are complemented by participation in international seminars and cultural events, the hosting of international events and similar activities.
Overseas Offices
The Hong Kong Government's overseas public relations efforts are concentrated on its major business partners in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. Its overseas offices in these regions play a leading role in promoting Hong Kong.
London
The News and Public Relations Unit of the Hong Kong Government Office in London works closely with GIS to provide a press service on Hong Kong matters for the British media and for Hong Kong journalists based in the United Kingdom. It also provides enquiry and information services for the public about events and developments in Hong Kong, backed by the most comprehensive library outside Hong Kong. The unit maintains close contact with journalists from both national and regional media, briefs and helps plan programmes for media visiting Hong Kong, and assists visiting journalists from Hong -Kong. It organises a panel of speakers of about 100 former government officers and bus-
inessmen who have retired or now work in Britain.
The unit monitors British parliamentary proceedings and both national and regional media coverage of Hong Kong affairs, responding where necessary to inaccurate reports. It also publishes a newsletter, Dateline Hong Kong, which is distributed among organisations and individuals with a close interest in Hong Kong.
North America
In North America, media relations are conducted by the information units in the -government's Economic and Trade Offices located in New York and San Francisco. These offices provide a general news and information service for the media and work with GIS to produce special news releases, features and articles tailored to the specific requirements of various American and Canadian publications. Close contact is maintained with journalists in all major centres of both countries. The units also provide them with assistance and information for preparing articles on Hong Kong and help journalists visiting Hong Kong with briefings, research material and interviews. The units each year organise in con- junction with GIS a series of sponsored visits by American and Canadian journalists to Hong Kong.
The units handle numerous public enquiries on all types of issues. To supplement this service, a monthly digest of events and happenings in Hong Kong is produced and mailed to contacts throughout North America. Each year the units jointly participate in the annual Radio-Television News Directors Exhibition as a means of establishing further contact with the electronic media and to publicise Hong Kong. The units also monitor the American and Canadian news media.
During the year, the Governor's visits to North America and to Canada attracted con- siderable media interest, as did the Chief Secretary's visit to cities on the West Coast.