The Deputy Director-General in charge of Operations at the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Millicent Aguwine Atuguba, has urged NDC communicators to build strategic and professional relationships with media practitioners to effectively communicate the achievements of the government.
She said strong media relations were critical to ensuring that government policies and achievements reached the public, particularly at the grassroots level. Ms. Atuguba was speaking 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 advised communicators to familiarise themselves with journalists and media programmes in their respective constituencies and provide them with timely and credible information.
According to her, communicators must not wait for crises before engaging journalists but should proactively share development updates, organise site visits and connect the media with beneficiaries of government interventions.
She cautioned communicators against providing false information, stressing that credibility was essential to maintaining a productive relationship with journalists.
“Never lie to a journalist. Not even a small one,” she cautioned, noting that losing the trust of a journalist could affect the credibility of the communicator and the party.
Ms. Atuguba also urged communicators to return calls from journalists, including those seeking responses to difficult issues, saying accessibility could contribute to fair and balanced reportage.
On public speaking, she encouraged communicators to focus on one key message supported by three facts when addressing the public. She further urged them to communicate government achievements with specific figures, locations and dates rather than relying on general statements.
Touching on radio and television interviews, Ms. Atuguba advised communicators to prepare for difficult questions, avoid repeating negative framings and use concise responses to redirect discussions to their key messages.
She also encouraged communicators to use local languages where appropriate to make the Reset Agenda easier for people at the grassroots to understand. Ms. Atuguba said communicators must take ownership of the government’s achievements and ensure that positive interventions were consistently communicated to the public.
She urged the communicators to return to their constituencies with a renewed commitment to engage the media, know the facts about government projects and prepare adequately for public discussions.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|
