Jaitley asks bureaucrats to give news along with politicians

Highlighting that media scape has undergone changes, Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley today encouraged bureaucrats to disseminate news with "restraint" and without "propaganda" while suggesting that politicians should take a lead in this endeavour.
Addressing a workshop for bureaucrats on communication here, he said the camera has transformed news and media organisations have even begun setting the agenda to which the other institutions were only responding.
The advent of 24x7 news channels and then the social media has changed the media scape, said Jaitley, a senior minister who also holds Finance portfolio, told the workshop organised for better synergy between senior officials in ministries, ministers' offices and Press Information Bureau (PIB) officials to improve the communication flow of the government.

There may be a government set-up but it is the political leadership that has to lead from the front, he said.
"Everybody amongst the ministerial team may not be to the same level familiar with the art of dealing with the media. Slowly everybody has to be nudged, because we live through the media, we communicate through the media," he added.
"If there are programmes of the ministry, if there are decisions of the ministry, they (political leaders) have to be the best communicators. If some of them get into the shell, then they are wasting an opportunity with no cost. Its an opportunity which is to a great advantage," Jaitley said.

"So everybody has to be nudged, persuaded to really become the face," the I&B Minister said.
He said that while it is difficult to expect civil servants to become the "face", officers could still provide huge information that would interest large number of people.