Gov’t to Develop Information Policy

Minister with responsibility for Information, Hon. Sandrea Falconer, said the Ministry will be working towards an information policy in the short to medium-term, as it seeks to make Government more transparent.

“What we have is a broadcast policy, and we are going to expand that to include the information policy and what the vision of this Government is, in terms of how we deliver information, so that we can be transparent,” she told journalists at yesterday’s (Feb. 1) Jamaica House press briefing held at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).

Ms. Falconer assured that her team will facilitate the various media houses as much as is possible, in accessing information in a timely manner.

“What we have been doing in the last few weeks, working with our departments here at Jamaica House (is) meeting with all the communicators from the different Ministries and government agencies…and we have been looking at a strategy where you can get as much information as you can out of each Ministry,” she said.           

She informed that there would be meetings with these groups, once per month for six months, to have all the communications departments online, with “a similar look”, so that media houses can access information more easily.

The Information Minister further disclosed that an audit will be conducted of all the communications units within each Ministry and agency, to assess shortcomings and areas that require strengthening.

Additionally, media houses will be provided with a list of the names of all the government communicators, and their contact information. The email addresses and numbers for all Ministers have already been posted on the OPM website.

Minister Falconer noted that the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) has been assisting with the OPM’s new-look website, and that in a few months, there could be an OPM application for Blackberry cell phones.

By Alphea Saunders, JIS Senior Reporter