The government and the media

Nov 13, 2016 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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David Gergen was one of the political commentators on CNN during the coverage of the U.S. presidential election campaign. It was a pleasure listening to him.

This was a man who once served as Director of Communications under the Reagan administration, long before the birth of the internet. It is obvious why he held such prestigious appointments. He also served during the administrations of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton.

Presidents of the United States have always had top-notch and highly qualified persons as their press and communications advisors. This is not a responsibility which can be handed to anyone but the best in the field.

Even before the Internet, Presidents of the United States recognized that their image and that of their government is important to how the public perceives them, and to the success of their policies.

All the Presidents of the United States have had press secretaries who took care of the public relations of the government. The Press Secretaries were not moderators. They were spokespersons for the government.

They did not always succeed in what they did, but the larger point is that you had highly experienced and qualified persons manning the PR machinery of government. You still do.

Recently, the President of Guyana was asked about his administration’s public relations, in light of how the PPPC was describing the government. The President said that it was not the fault of the government. He said it is not as if the government is quiet or soft-spoken. He noted that the evidence (about what the government is doing) is there, but the media is not making use of this evidence. The example was given of an unnamed media house which does not carry the releases of the government.

The problem with the President’s response is that he is confusing the substance with the medium. Things are happening, so he says, but why is this not leading to a positive image for the government? It surely cannot all be a case whereby the failure of the media to report what is happening is leading to a bad image for the government.

The bad image is a product of government’s inaction on a number of fronts, including campaign promises and commitments. It is also a product of the government’s actions, including the many scandals which have erupted over the past eighteen months, and which have disheartened even die-hard supporters of the APNU+AFC coalition.

The poor image of the government cannot be put at the feet of the media. The media does not have an obligation to carry the releases of the government. They may carry those that are of public interest and which may not have been reported on by others.

The government ought to know by now that bad news sells. Good news does not. It cannot therefore operate as a peddler of news releases.

The government cannot build a positive image for itself through press releases. And this is all the APNU+AFC coalition is doing. Its press divisions are press release manufacturers. Every day the public is bombarded with press releases about what the President did, who he met, and what he said. If President Obama or Bush had operated through press releases they would never have had second terms.

The PPPC has had its easy. It has not had to find major resources to counter the government. It has made the government look infantile by simply using press conferences. The Press Conference retort works when all you have to deal with is press releases.

The APNU+AFC government has used the same machinery that the PPPC used. The outfit headed by Kwame Mc Coy in the Office of the President under the PPP, has simply had a change of personnel. It is doing the same press release work that the old unit did. GINA and NCN have also had a change in personnel, but no change in focus. Roger Luncheon’s post cabinet press briefing has been replaced by Joe Harmon’s post Cabinet wrap-up. Nothing really has changed.

The Department of Information is throwing out a lot of information. But this information is no different from what was done by GINA under the PPPC.

Some media outfits and editors in Guyana have bigger egos than the government. They do not care much for press releases. They view such releases as an attempt by the government to get free advertising. The media houses do not want releases. They want to be able to be pointed in the right direction, so that they can get the slant that their readers want. They want greater access to government Ministers.

The evidence is indeed there that a lot of good things are happening. But it is the wrong things that are making the news, and the reason why the wrong things are making the news is because there is a woeful lack of skill and expertise in packaging the good news.

Managing the media relations and improving public relations cannot be left to political devotees. It is too important a function in any government. There needs to be professionalizing of communications in the government. Quite frankly, you cannot put children to do a job which should be done by seasoned, experienced hands.

 

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