Veteran Journalist congratulates Press Secretary

By Stanford Conway

SKN News Source.com

THE inaugural Prime Minister’s Press Conference held on Monday (Oct. 17) was well conducted, and kudos must be paid to the young Press Secretary, Adelcia Connor-Ferlance, for the role she played in its hosting.

She did an excellent job for which I give her a B+. However, if there was any flaw or inperfection on her part as Press Secretary, I am certain that with time she will mature and be given an A Grade.

In an email to the various media houses in St. Kitts and Nevis, she had outlined the format of the conference, including the time when media representatives should arrive, the amount of questions they were allowed to ask, the placement of recording instruments and the official title for which each Minister in attendance should be addressed.

While I am in agreement with most of the stipulations, I totally disagree with the hard-and-fast rule on late arrival, in which she said: “Kindly note no late admissions will be allowed.”

There should be some degree of flexibity regarding late admission. For, example, if one of the Monthly Prime Minister’s Press Conference is being held at Government Headquarters or some other venue in Basseterre and reporters are asked to be seated on or before a specific time, but one of them who resides in Sandly Point was involved in a traffic accident or an unforseen incident had presented itself and he/she arrived 15 minutes after the conference started, will that person be denied admission even though a plausible explanation was given?

What about the late arrival of the main speaker or a Government Minister, does that rule include them? Why was the recently-held Prime Minister’s inaugural Press Conference not started on time? Was it because of a change in time, or was it due to his late arrival?

Another important point to note is the amount of questions journalists were allowed to ask. Two is good! But, it must be remembered that journalists interface with members of the commumity more often than elected members of government. Therefore, at times, a journalist might have an additional question that relates to an important issue or problem affecting a community for which he/she seeks an answer.

As a journalist with over 30 years experience in this honourable profession, I have seen may Governments and Press Secretaries within the Caribbean Region come and go.

Hence, in relation to questions allowed, I would like to suggest that instead of issuing press releases with excerpts of what were discussed and decisions made at Cabinet meetings, more details should be included for which Ministers of the various Ministries can be contacted to answer questions and not wait on the Prime Minister to do so at his Monthly Press Conferences. This will certainly save on time consumption.

It is known that Press Secretaries are public relations specialists, who help government officials in building relationships with the public and the media.

Among the tasks of a Press Secretary are: representing the government through his/heroffice; informing the public about the activies and accomplishments of Ministers and the Ministeries that fall under their purview; developing relationships with media practitioners; writing press releases; holding press conference with media representatives; developing communications strategies; and responding to questions from the media.

To be an efficient Press Secretary, one must be be qualified.  The starting position may be a Bachelor’s Degree or a few years’ experience in public relations or the media fraternity.

Thorough knowledge of the government he/she represents, economics, current issues, public policy and the ability to manage multiple projects under pressure are essential.

I am aware that Press Secretary Connor-Ferlance is aptly certified and qualified due to what I have seen and heard of her. But as earlier mentioned, she will certainly mature with time and earn that A Grade.

Conclusively, it will be greatly appreciated if the young Press Secretary, apart from her private phone numbers but in addition to contact numbers at work, provide members of the media with numbers to her (work) cell phone.

Be advised that the position you hold is a very influencial and important one, which requires you to work 25 hours per day. And remember, whenever a reporter calls for clarity or information on a specific issue for which you might not readily have answers, do not only say “I’ll get back to you”, but, get back to them in the shortest possible time.