XN000022-1984-12-08 — Page 5

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8

8,

1984

+CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES NO IVORY TOWERS+

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THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES IN LOWER ALBERT ROAD ARE NO IVORY TOWERS AND PUBLIC CRITICISM INFLUENCES THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISIONS TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN MOST PEOPLE SEEM TO APPRECIATE, SAID THE DIRECTOR DESIGNATE, OF INFORMATION SERVICES, MISS CHEUNG MAN-YEE, TODAY.

SPEAKING ON THE SUBJECT OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE MASS MEDIA AT A SEMINAR OF THE HONG KONG MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, SHE SAID THAT OFFICERS MIGHT NOT LIKE WHAT THEY HEAR BUT POLICY IS INFLUENCED NONETHELESS.

+FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF THE PRESS MEAN THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE THE GOOD WITH THE BAD, SAID MISS CHEUNG. +GIVEN THAT WE IN GOVERNMENT DO RECEIVE THIS CONSTANT FLOW OF CRITICAL COMMENT, TO WHAT EXTENT DOES CRITICISM INFLUENCE THE GOVERNMENT AND ITS DECISIONS? THE ANSWER IS: TO AN EXTENT GREATER THAN MOST PEOPLE SEEM TO APPRECIATE.+

+ THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES ARE NO IVORY TOWER AND THE PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE, PEOPLE WHO FORMULATE AND IMPLEMENT GOVERNMENT POLICIES ARE NOT, AND SHOULD NOT, BE INSULATED FROM THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF THE PUBLIC.+

AS THE MOST RECENT EXAMPLE OF HOW MEDIA CRITICISM CAN INFLUENCE THE GOVERNMENT MISS CHEUNG CITED THE RECENT WHITE PAPER ON REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT. +EVEN SOME OF OUR HARSHEST CRITICS HAVE ADMITTED THAT THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FROM THE PROPOSALS OUTLINED IN THE GREEN PAPER.+

+SIMILAR EXAMPLES OCCUR REGULARLY, IF ON A SMALLER SCALE. WE MAY NOT ALWAYS LIKE WHAT WE READ OR HEAR, BUT IT DOES INFLUENCE OUR JUDGEMENT AND FREQUENTLY HAS A BEARING ON OUR POLICIES.+

EXPLAINING THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES, MISS CHEUNG SAID THAT ITS PRIMARY ROLE WAS TO PROVIDE A COMMUNICATION LINK BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE THROUGH THE MEDIA.

+ONE QUESTION THAT HAS OFTEN BEEN ASKED IS WHETHER GIS IS IN FACT JUST A PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT, EMPLOYED TO FOIST THE GOVERNMENT'S VIEWS ONTO THE PUBLIC, VIA THE MEDIA. THE ANSWER TO THIS IS: NO.

+THERE IS A VERY REAL AND IMPORTANT DISTINCTION BETWEEN INFORMATION AND PROPAGANDA. EVERYDAY WE PUT OUT, ON OUR TELEPRINTER NETWORK, THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF WORDS. BUT, AND THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT BUT, THERE IS NO OBLIGATION AT ALL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION TO USE IT. IN PRINT OR IN THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA. THEY ARE ENTIRELY FREE TO USE IT OR NOT USE IT, JUST AS THEY SEE FIT.

/+THEIR TREEDOM