HONG KONG
ANNUAL DEPARTMENTAL REPORT
by the
DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES
D.R. FORD, J. P.
for the
FINANCIAL YEARS 1972-3 AND 1973-4
1
The following is a brief account of the major developments which affected the work of the Information Services Department during the years 1972-3 and 1973-4.
-
The department has three main divisions news, publicity and public relations, with certain services common to all three. Under a re-organisation of the directorate, early in 1974, each division was headed by an Assistant Director.
NEWS DIVISION
The news division, probably the most familiar service to the Hong Kong public, produces a daily information bulletin in English and Chinese. This bulletin gives factual information on both official policy and public projects, as well as routine notices and statistics. It is distributed to more than 120 newspapers, news agencies and broadcasting stations.
The daily information bulletin is supplemented by a tele - printer service which assists agencies and newspapers to meet urgent deadlines. It also channels official announcements, and alerts editors to newsworthy incidents or events, such as fires, which require immediate coverage. The service also relays weather reports, forecasts and other warnings and advice to all the media. There is no charge for the department's teleprinter service other than for the hire of the line and teleprinter. At present there are 79 subscribers.
Following the successful experiment with facsimile trans- mission in 1969, a full 24-hour service was inaugurated in May 1974. As news in English is transmitted over the teleprinter network, news in Chinese is sent simultaneously over the facsimile transmitter. So are weather, police and other reports.
The new service was an instant success and the number of subscribers increased quickly from five to 27, covering almost the entire field of the local Chinese media.
The only charge to subscribers to the facsimile service is for the hire of the line.
In addition to the teleprinter and facsimile services, a bilingual press enquiries service is maintained by information. officers of the news division on a 24-hour basis, including weekends and public holidays.
2
The news division also becomes the nerve centre of all communications during typhoons, severe rainstorms, and all other kinds of emergencies. Once the 'emergency roster' is in force, the division is manned round the clock by a team of officers. Liaison officers are also deployed to the Royal Observatory, the Social Welfare Department, the New Territories Administration, the Public Works Department, Medical and Health Department, Marine Department, Housing Department, Fire Services and to the Royal Hong Kong Police Force. These officers ensure that up-to-the- minute information on the situation reaches the news division for dissemination to the media and the public.
PUBLICITY DIVISION.
With the re-organisation of the directorate and the increased responsibilities of the department, the former technical services division was renamed publicity division under the charge of an assistant director, with three sub-divisions, each with its own chief information officer. The editorial section which produces the annual report and most other government publications, was grouped with the marketing office and the recently acquired sales section which has the responsibility of increasing sales to the public of all publi- cations produced on behalf of or allied to the government.
In 1974 the creative division logically combined the design and display section, the photographic section and the films section. The films section, although small, produced during 1973-4 more than 10 per cent of the total commercial films produced on Hong Kong television, and in addition produced eight 12-minute and five- minute special productions.
With the assumption of the responsibilities for the Festival of Hong Kong, the two main promotional sections were grouped together forming the festival and campaigns sub-division. The campaigns office continues to be responsible in an advisory and executive function for all the major and minor publicity promotions mounted on behalf of government and includes the major Clean Hong Kong, Fight Crime, Road Safety and ACAN campaigns. The next Festival of Hong Kong will take place in November and December 1975 and planning and work have started for this.
PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION
The major function of the public relations division is to promote understanding and improve the relationship between the government and the people. Its responsibility therefore is to help explain government policies to the people on the one hand and reflect public
3
opinion to the departments concerned on the other. The division's role is similar to that of the City District Office, but instead of making direct contact with individuals, it concentrates on news - papers, television and radio.
More than 20 Chinese newspapers are examined every day by this division. A weekly review of press comments is prepared in English for circulation to some 200 senior government officers. The division also draws the attention of government departments to letters published in the correspondence columns of newspapers. In addition, special research papers have been prepared on such controversial topics as the oil refinery on Lamma Island and the Transport Green Paper,
Since August 1973, a weekly television programme on Chinese press opinion about current topics has been shown on the English networks to give non-Chinese members of our community a method of learning Chinese opinion on important issues.
Hong Kong Chinese living abroad, and Hong Kong seamen serving in various parts of the world are kept informed of happenings in Hong Kong and within an eight page, weekly newspaper sponsored by the government and edited by this division. Each week a total of 33,000 copies are issued and distributed throughout the world free of charge.
DEPARTMENTAL UNITS
In recent years, the Information Services Department has set up departmental units with the aim of promoting better liaison between the government and the press, and to improve relations between these departments and the public. The units are manned by information officers seconded from the Information Services Department, and, being an extension of that department, they are at all times supported by its full resources.
During 1973-4, new units were set up in the Medical and Health, Urban Services, Commerce and Industry, Fire Services and Transport departments.
These units, in addition to those units already set up in nine other departments, work closely with departmental staff and are able to present the day-to-day operation as well as the long-term objectives of the departments to the public.
4
The emphasis of work depends on the different type of service the department provides. But, generally, it includes answering press enquiries, issuing press releases, arranging press interviews, co-ordinating publicity campaigns, mounting exhibitions, providing public relations courses for departmental staff, and preparing specialised publications.
LO
5
46868-10K-12/74