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Media and Communications
The News Sub-division operates a 24-hour media enquiry service. During typhoons and other emergencies, the ISD's Combined Information Centre coordinates responses to media enquiries and disseminates information and public announcements.
The Government News and Media Information System gives journalists online access to press releases, photographs and video clips through a single interface. All press releases are available on the internet, 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 news.gov.hk website publishes government news and information daily in a dynamic multimedia fashion. Over 7,560 news and feature stories and some 2,130 video highlights were posted in 2020. News items and messages are also disseminated through smartphones, mobile devices and social media, including Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, Twitter and YouTube. More than 640 million page views were recorded in 2020.
The Media Research Sub-division keeps the government informed of public opinion expressed in the mass news media and social media platforms. It produces daily analyses of public views and editorial comments in the Chinese and English newspapers as well as 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. Among the major local campaigns. conducted or supported by the division in 2020 were those for Fight the Virus, Employment Support Scheme, National Security Law, Universal Community Testing Programme and Cash. Payout Scheme.
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 2,000 titles and produces a wide variety of government publications, including this yearbook and its internet version. Each year, the division distributes a large number of free publications, including fact sheets, brochures and posters. Photographs from ISD's substantial archive, both historical and topical, are sold at its photo library and via an online photo sales system. Through its sales outlet and online bookstore, over 35,000 government books and miscellaneous printed items were sold in 2020.
Public Relations Outside Hong Kong Division
The division helps develop and implement the government's public relations strategy outside Hong Kong, working closely with the government's offices overseas, on the Mainland and in Taiwan. Its Overseas Public Relations Sub-division promotes and monitors Hong Kong's image overseas and liaises closely with about 80 foreign media organisations based in Hong Kong, handling press enquiries, disseminating news and arranging briefings and interviews. It also runs a programme for visiting journalists and produces summaries of overseas reports on Hong Kong. To tie in with the outbound visits of senior officials, it coordinates and implements
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