JIS Urged to Be Guardian of Credible Information

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, has charged the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) to work to combat misinformation and disinformation across the nation.

“You have to see yourselves as the guardians of credible information,” the Minister told JIS Executives, during the agency’s Strategic Planning Management Retreat, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, on Thursday (October 1).

She maintained that false information is a danger to democracy, while noting that the agency must implement a real-time monitoring and response mechanism, through which it can identify the viral pieces, verify the facts, rapidly issue corrections, and communicate those corrections creatively and effectively.

Dr. Morris Dixon acknowledged that it is often difficult to keep pace with fast-moving narratives on digital platforms but emphasised that speed and accuracy must go hand in hand.

She referenced a landmark MIT study, which analysed 126,000 rumour cascades on X (Twitter), noting that it showed false news spreads six times faster and is 70 per cent more likely to be retweeted than the truth.

The Minister explained that Jamaica faces a similar rapid spread of false stories and government media must contend with this.

“Every click, every post and every share can shape public opinion, and we have to make sure that we are able to go viral with the real information,” she emphasised, while urging the agency to reorient its operations to be more agile and flexible.

To achieve this, the Minister encouraged the JIS to leverage emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, to track sentiment, identify false narratives early, and refine public outreach strategies.

Dr. Morris Dixon also challenged the agency to innovate its content strategies to capture the hearts and minds of younger generations who consume information predominantly on platforms such as TikTok, and those living in rural Jamaica.

She further appealed to the team to think boldly and embrace trial and error.

Reaffirming her deep personal connection to the agency, the Minister called on the JIS to lead proactive communication campaigns across all government ministries, ensuring citizens at home and across the diaspora have access to reliable facts.

In his remarks, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the JIS, Giovanni Dennis, underscored the agency’s commitment to transformation, noting that the JIS is actively taking steps to deliver dynamic, cutting-edge, and high-impact storytelling for the public sector.

He cited the findings of a recent comprehensive review and series of focus groups, which highlighted that while public trust in the JIS remains a core strength, the agency must modernise its delivery to expand its reach, relevance, and engagement.

Mr. Dennis outlined key operational shifts already under way, including the launch of high-engagement digital programmes, such as ‘In a Nutshell’, and short-form Post-Cabinet recaps, among other initiatives.

He also highlighted plans for the upskilling of staff, noting that targeted training will be rolled out to ensure production quality matches audience expectations.

The CEO reminded the executive body that all current and upcoming initiatives are anchored by four central operational pillars: People, Partners, Place, and Purse.

“If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together,” Mr. Dennis added, while calling on staff to remain united in driving excellence, modernising operations, and strengthening financial sustainability to build the JIS of the future.

Meanwhile, Board Chairman, Elon Parkinson, affirmed that the Advisory Board is ready to support the agency every step of the way.

He urged the agency’s executives to keep the core pillars of harmonisation, simplification, and customer centricity at the forefront of their deliberations over the coming days of their Strategic Retreat as they craft strategies that will shape the direction of the agency over the next four years.

The JIS Strategic Retreat is being held under the theme ‘JIS Re-imagined: People, Partners, Place and Purse’.