State Minister stresses providing information to the media

June 02, 2006

ADDIS ABABA –State Minister of Information Tesema Fote stressed that public relations officers need to provide information to the media.

The State Minister made the remark yesterday at the 2nd regular meeting of federal government offices PR officers and state media forum organized by the Ministry of Information.

Tesema said that PR officers are obliged to provide information to the media about their organizations except those that go against the country’s national interest.

The State Minister further said that PR officers have to access every information about their organizations through establishing close contact with heads of the various departments within their respective offices.

According to the State Minister, his ministry is conducting a study aimed at addressing the structural problems that hinder PR officers from discharging their duties.

Public relations officers of the Ministries of Finance and Economic Development, Federal Affairs and Health shared their experiences following a discussion which was conducted.

Comments forwarded during the discussion include, putting in place a structure that enable PR officers carry out their duties, the need to provide information to journalists seeing them as agents of development, giving equal access to the print and the electronics media as well and finally empowering PR offices to perform their duties independently.

The objectives of the forum are facilitating conditions that enable PR officers discharge their duties as well as sharing experiences. About 25 PR officers and government media agency representatives took part in the forum.

by Dayan Tadesse