The right information By Salama Ahmed Salama One of the innovative ideas mooted by Atef Ebeid when he became prime minister a few months ago was the appointment of an official spokesman to liaise with the press, answer questions and explain matters to the public.
Most societies have official spokesmen of some sort.
They can be spokesmen for the entire government or specific ministries, or can act as go-betweens. No spokesman was appointed, however, and as a result, many crises broke out between the government and the press. Inadequate information on many issues of public concern had two equally negative results. On one hand, a number of journalists were tried and condemned to prison sentences or fines under obsolete laws. On the other, ministries and government organisations issued publications of their own to propagate their policies and deter criticism.