Parliamentary staff trained to strengthen media relations and promote clear communication with the public.
A vibrant media is a sign of a healthy society, British High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands, Paul Robert Turner, told parliamentary staff during a media training held this week.
The one-day workshop aimed to strengthen media relations by equipping parliamentary officers with strategies for clear and accurate communication on parliamentary activities. The initiative is expected to enhance professional, timely, and transparent engagement with the public and journalists.
“A society that can investigate and report on all kinds of stories, one that can both challenge and reflect on matters in the political arena, is a healthy society,” Turner said. Quoting US Senator Hugo Black, he added, “The press is there to serve the governed, not the governors.”
Clerk to the National Parliament of Solomon Islands, Jefferson Hallu, emphasized the importance of public access to parliamentary processes.
“Parliamentary activities are of public interest, and it is appropriate that people know what the government is doing or deciding in their interest,” Hallu said.
The workshop was supported by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and BBC Media Action. WFD Country Director for Solomon Islands, Vatina Devesi, said the training stemmed from a 2023 political economic analysis that identified gaps in the system, including the challenges of misinformation and disinformation.
“WFD takes a participant-based approach, working with the National Parliament of Solomon Islands, which is leading the implementation of these activities,” Devesi said.
Westminster Foundation for Democracy is the UK public body dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world. BBC Media Action, the BBC’s international charity, uses media and communication to promote stronger democracies, a safer and more habitable planet, and inclusive societies.
Source: BHC
