The Deputy Director-General in charge of Operations at the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Millicent Aguwine Atuguba, has urged National Democratic Congress (NDC) communicators to build strong, strategic and professional relationships with media practitioners to effectively communicate the government’s achievements.
She said effective media engagement was critical to ensuring that government policies, programmes and development initiatives reached the public, particularly people at the grassroots.
Atuguba made the call at a capacity-building workshop for NDC communicators in the Upper East Region on the theme, “The Role of Government Communicators in Advancing the Reset Agenda.”
She encouraged communicators to familiarise themselves with journalists, media houses and programmes operating in their respective constituencies and provide them with timely, accurate and credible information.
According to her, communicators should not wait for controversies or crises before engaging the media but must proactively provide updates on government projects, organise site visits and facilitate interactions between journalists and beneficiaries of government interventions.
She cautioned communicators against giving journalists inaccurate or misleading information, stressing that credibility was essential to maintaining productive relationships with the media.
Never lie to a journalist. Not even a small one,” she cautioned, noting that losing a journalist’s trust could undermine the credibility of both the communicator and the party.
Atuguba also urged communicators to respond promptly to calls from journalists, including those seeking comments on difficult or controversial issues, saying accessibility was necessary for fair and balanced reportage.
On public speaking, she advised communicators to structure their messages around one key point supported by three relevant facts.
She further urged them to communicate government achievements using specific figures, locations and dates rather than making broad or general claims.
Touching on radio and television interviews, Ms. Atuguba encouraged communicators to anticipate difficult questions, prepare adequately and avoid reinforcing negative framings.
Instead, she advised them to provide concise responses and consistently steer discussions towards their key messages and verifiable achievements.
She also encouraged communicators to use local languages where appropriate to make government policies and the Reset Agenda easier for people at the grassroots to understand.
Atuguba said communicators had a responsibility to take ownership of government achievements and ensure that successful interventions were consistently brought to public attention through effective media engagement.
She urged participants to return to their respective constituencies with renewed commitment to building relationships with journalists, familiarising themselves with government projects and programmes, verifying facts and preparing adequately for public engagements.
Comments