A quiet exercise has begin both within the government and the principal ruling party, the BJP to exercise greater control over the overall messaging of all that the party and the government are involved in. This flows from the general template on which the party and the government run at the centre that information dissemination has to be very carefully carried out so that the messaging is consistent.
The government on its part is showing visible signs of this. A detailed circular issued by the government asking all departments to appoint their own Public Relation Officers, who will coordinate with the Department of Information and Publicity and hold joint press conferences from time to time about the functioning of departments and rebut and clarify critical stories, is both pro active and precautionary. “The PRO’s shall, on real time basis, monitor, print, electronic, digital and social media channels, and if need arises, issue appropriate rebuttals, to critical, adverse coverages, after proper approval from their administrative secretary”, an excerpt of the circular issued by Secretary Information and Publicity Sudhir Mahajan, stated.
There are a few interesting takeaways from this. There is realisation that digital and social media needs to be tracked on a real time basis as it has a the potential to reach far more people and potentially cause greater potential damage if false information and propaganda is spread. At the same time, there is a subtle realisation too that public debate and discourse is generated round the clock and at real time speeds on social and digital media which neither print nor even electronic media can match. Every press conference, speech, event, happening or incident is not just reported but analysed, commented upon and opinions influenced in this new media. The government is coming to terms with the fact that Whatsapp groups across almost every sphere of activity cutting across several social and professional groups have an audience which is staggering and has an impact more than traditional forms of information distribution like newspapers. Each of these social media influencers, is not a journalist, but assumes the power of disruption, both positively and negatively in a manner hitherto not possible.
Let’s make no mistake. Facebook, Twitter and even Whatsapp has given informed people the access to create and consume content and information, discussion and debates without necessarily having to wait for the newspapers. At the same it has created a Frankenstein with little or no accountability. This is where the role of traditional media comes in as not just watchdogs and crusaders for the people but making sense of the government sensibly. While the traditional media has been its own watchdog because of its inherent social and legal responsibilities, it will be challenge for the government to monitor and rebut the freelance digital media as well as social media. Thus if the PROs of departments or a media monitoring cell pick up a long thread of conversation critical of the government, how will they actually rebut or put a stop to Facebook and twitter posts or force private individuals to issue clarifications or rebuttals unless the PRO’s themselves join groups on Social media.
Take for instance, the ongoing issue regarding the conduct of social activist Aires Rodrigues who has purportedly uploaded pictures of a woman linking her with the Minister of Fisheries in the context of a seedy CD, where the minister is seemingly seen in a compromising position with a lady. The entire episode of highlighting the supposed incident, to the activist going on the backfoot after being confronted by the lady, for having posted her pictures on social media, was played out in the full glare of the social media with traditional media taking a backseat. That is because on social media, the need to be circumspect, guarded and legally on the right, appears to be far less felt than in traditional media. Handling this cannon on the lose needs a far more intense strategy, which is perhaps not quite within the reach of senior babus of a generation born before the impact of social media hit our daily lives. At the same time this cannon has the fodder power to hold the government to account when needed and when responsibly used, can be a very handy opposition. The governments challenge is to tame this loose cannon, more than issuing rebuttals to traditional media.
At the same time the PRO’s while rebutting stories critical of the government must rebut only when the facts are either incorrect or haven’t been appreciated. Correct criticism needs no rebuttal.
Lastly the new army of PRO’s must take it upon themselves that they become ambassadors of their departments and work overtime to give real time information about their departments to journalists as they fight deadlines. The only fodder for credible journalists is credible information delivered with deadline matching speed.
