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The Media, Communications and Information Technology
Local Public Relations Division
The division oversees the work of Information Grade officers who serve as Press Secretaries to Principal Officials or work in the 34 information and public relations units in bureaus and departments. They help formulate and implement public relations and publicity strategies, advise their bureau or department heads on public relations matters, answer media enquiries and questions from the public, prepare media releases, and organise press conferences and special promotional activities.
The News Sub-division operates a 24-hour press enquiry service. During typhoons and other emergencies, the ISD's Combined Information Centre co-ordinates responses to media enquiries and disseminates information and public announcements.
The Government News and Media Information System gives journalists online access to media releases, photographs and video clips through a single system. All media releases are uploaded to www.info.gov.hk/gia, while major government press conferences and events, including the Chief Executive's annual Policy Address and the Financial Secretary's Budget Speech, are webcast live.
The government's online news platform, news.gov.hk, presents news and information daily in a dynamic multi-media fashion. Over 9,500 news and feature stories and some 1,500 video highlights were posted in 2014. News items and messages are also disseminated through smartphones, mobile devices and social media, including a new Facebook page published in November. The e-bulletin attracted more than 15 million visitors and 343 million page views in 2014.
The Media Research Sub-division keeps the government informed of public opinion expressed in the news media. It produces daily reports summarising news and editorial comments in the Chinese and English press and radio phone-in programmes. It also produces special reports on subjects of interest to the government.
Publicity and Promotions Division
The division helps bureaus and departments mount publicity campaigns and promotion drives and is responsible for advertising, creative design, photography, videography and the production of a range of government publications. Local campaigns conducted or supported by the division in 2014 included public consultation on constitutional development, Bless Hong Kong, the 65th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, anti-drug efforts, environmental protection, road safety, fight crime and fire prevention.
The division also helps organise major promotional activities such as exhibitions, cultural performances, film festivals and media partnerships overseas and in the Mainland.
The division handles about 3,200 titles and produces a wide variety of government publications, including this yearbook and its internet and iPad versions. Each year the division distributes a large number of free publications, including fact sheets, brochures and posters. In 2014, the division sold photographs and, through its sales outlet and online bookstore, 129,930 government books and miscellaneous printed items.
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