
=====================================================================
Building Relations between Media and Governemnt
=====================================================================

Speeches and Media Releases
 Role Players

[         w

BUILDING RELATIONS BETWEEN MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT: A PAPER BY MATHATHA TSEDU, DELIVERED AT THE LAUNCH OF THE CUSTOMER SERVICE CHARTER AND 
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS PACKAGE OF THE EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT IN BISHO, 3 SEPTEMBER 1999.

In an environment where governments communications arsenal includes the Government Communications and Information Systems, trying to chart 
a path, a new path at that, about how relations between government and media can either be built or improved upon, is no mean task.

To s tart with maybe the topic is misleading, or I should say has to be misleading. I do not think that there is no relationship between 
media and the government of this province as we speak. Thus I think what we are really speaking about is how do we improve, the existing 
relations. And in this task, we have to accept that we shall never reach a stage where the need for improvement is absent. It will always 
be there.

And that is because the relationship between media and government is semi adversary. It is so because in the nature of the watchdog that 
media sees itself as, constant vigilance is warranted. Abuse of authority, power and positions is rife in our country and is rife all over 
the world. The media fulfils the task of representing the public good which government is committed to serving. So, in one sense it should 
be quite easy for the two to co-operate as they both profess to serving the public good. But life is not that easy. The abuses of power and 
resources within government can be stamped out through the anti corruption structures so created. But above all, it is the exposes by media 
of these kinds of irregularities that in many instances kick starts government into action. The fear of exposure is a key element in the 
medias ability to influence clean behaviour by many civil servants and politicians. So the watchdog role is a key element of the functions 
of the media.

But if we accept that in the main government is serious about rooting out maladministration, in ensuring that services are delivered, and 
that there should be economic development in the country, what should the relationship be like between the two. I think the term should be 
adversarial co-operation. This means that for as long and wherever government is doing good, cooperation should be made available. However 
where corruption is found, it would be the responsibility of the media to expose such activities.

Increasing cooperation entails ensuring that your communications staff, to start with, is professional, knows what they are supposed to do. 
As a country, we are committed to transparent government and your communications staff should swear by that. Their role is to facilitate 
access to information either through providing information needed or by arranging appointments for interviews. A communications officer who 
finds himself or herself embroiled in arguments defending non availability of principals to answer questions has lost the way of his job 
and should stop and think. Once your communications officials are in tune, half the battle has been won. You need to fight the rest, which 
is to uproot the mindset in many civil servants that secrecy is the key to success. It is not, because the moment I start getting the idea 
that you are unwilling to divulge, I get into fighting mode, I want to dig to find out what it is you are trying to hide. The changing of 
the mindset within the civil service is therefore crucial, transparency is not only for communications staff, it is for everybody.

Once we accept the need for openness and co operation, we will find that what needs to be discussed is really ways and means of 
strengthening relations, improving relations. And this can be done through regular briefings with senior people who speak with authority. 
It does not help to call a press briefing where a junior communications officials will speak third or fourth hand about issues, a person 
who would be unable to answer basic questions.

If the premier or the MEC cannot come to the briefing, whoever replaces him or her should be someone who would have been at the meeting or 
session that the briefing is about. When the White House does its briefings in Washington, the press pool attends and takes what is being 
said seriously because to start with the spokesman or woman carries sufficient political weight for everybody to know what is being said is 
the presidents views. Similarly, the success that Joel and parks had with their service for president Mandela was because everyone knew 
that Joel was a big enough shot within both government and the ANC to know what he was talking about. When Comtask was established, one of 
its recommendations was to upgrade the role of communications, so that heads of communications should be chief directors within departments 
and ministries. This is designed to give communications staff sufficient clout to attend cabinet and other senior meetings of government, 
so that when they go out to communicate, they will be having the background, and not be people who were given a one page summary of a 
meeting they did not attend. regular briefings are important.They may not necessarily yield a story the following morning, but 
backgrounders are important as they give journalists an in into the thinking behind policy, so that when things happen, they are able to 
link incidents to the overall direction that government is taking. regular one to one interviews with the premier and MECs are important, 
and if reporters are not requesting them, take the initiative, and say we can get you an interview on this day as we think major policy 
issues are to arise in the near future which would benefit your readers/ listeners/ viewers. All these sound easy and very day to day. They 
are not new things. But of course progress is not attained by the constant evolution of new things, but by implementing the right policies 
constantly. If we do these regularly, we will find that over time, coverage of issues relating to government will not only be about the 
inabilities of government to do a myriad of things, but will include stories about achievements and informed analysis of why things are 
either happening or not happening. In the end, that is really what both of us want to achieve. To serve our people.

Thank you.

Mathatha Tsedu
 Deputy Editor
 The Star
 Tel: 27 11 633 2339
 Fax: 27 11 836 6186
 Cell: 083 255 7704

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Home | About the Eastern Cape | Documents
 Economy | Structures | International Relations | Site Map
 Premier's Office | Speeches & Media Releases | Links
 Top of Page

---------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Eastern Cape

Premier's Office

Structures

Documents

Speeches & Media Releases

International Relations

Economy

Links


