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COMMUNICATIONS, THE MEDIA AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The Media Research Subdivision keeps the Government fully informed of public opinion as expressed in the news media. It produces daily reports summarising news and editorial comments in the Chinese and English press as well as on radio and television. It also produces special reports on subjects of interest to the Government.

Public Relations Division

The division oversees the work of information units in various government departments and bureaux. It anticipates, monitors and advises these units in the formulation and development of public relations strategies and co-ordinates their work regarding complex issues to ensure consistency. It has responsibility for the overall management of Information Grade officers in the units and ensures effective deployment and utilisation of staff resources.

Excluding those attached to the overseas offices, 39 information units operate in government departments and bureaux. They work closely with ISD headquarters on information, public relations and publicity aspects concerning the work of their departments or bureaux. These units play a major role in maintaining the flow of information and helping to improve relations with the public.

Publicity Division

The Publicity Division is responsible for government publications and advertising, promotional campaigns, and much of the Government's creative design and photographic work. As such, it is Hong Kong's biggest publisher, and one of the biggest advertising agencies. The division organised 11 major government campaigns. and 59 general publicity drives during the year. The topics covered such diverse themes as voter registration and the Legislative Council election, promotion of the 10th anniversary of the promulgation of the Basic Law, effective building management, civic education, crime prevention and healthy living.

The division handles about 6 000 separate titles and produces a wide variety of government publications, including the Hong Kong Annual Report and a CD-ROM version which was produced for the first time in 1998. Some eight million copies of a range of free publications such as booklets, leaflets, fact sheets, brochures, posters and government forms are distributed by the division each year. Associated with this output, the division sells some 0.88 million copies of books as well as miscellaneous printed material. Turnover from these sales amounted to more than $28.5 million in 2000. Photographs are also sold by the division.

The Government home page on the Internet, the GIC, is produced by the Publicity Division. The site is accessible to millions of users world-wide. Continued effort is being made to improve the content and user-friendliness of the home page as an effective means of communicating with the public.

Overseas Public Relations Division

The division formulates, co-ordinates and implements the Government's overseas public relations and communications strategy. It works closely with the HKSAR Government Economic and Trade Offices to monitor and promote Hong Kong's image overseas. It runs a programme under which journalists are invited to visit Hong Kong to gain a better understanding of the SAR. The division maintains close contacts with some 130 locally based foreign media organisations and assists visiting journalists seeking information or interviews with government officials, and business

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