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The Media, Communications and Information Technology

Local Public Relations Division

The division oversees the work of the 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 press 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 medial enquiries and disseminates information and public announcements promptly.

The Government News and Media Information System channels press releases, photographs and video clips through a single system accessible to journalists on the internet. All press releases are uploaded onto the internet at www.info.gov.hk/gia and 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 every day in a dynamic multi-media fashion. News items and messages are also disseminated through smartphones, mobile devices and social media such as YouTube, Twitter and Weibo. By the end of 2013, news.gov.hk had posted over 7,900 news and feature stories, with about 960 video highlights. Users may sign up for free daily news summaries and weekly City Life email alerts. The e-bulletin has about 11,700 subscribers, and attracted more than 17 million visitors and 392 million page views in 2013.

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 many government publications. Local campaigns conducted or supported by the division in 2013 included 'Hong Kong: Our Home', Food Wise Hong Kong, public consultation on constitutional development, public engagement exercise on population policy, poverty alleviation, 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 2013, the

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