Han Ximin
THE introduction of a new accountability mechanism for officials and spokespersons in the city has attracted media interest both at home and abroad since it was announced Sept. 15.
Both government officials and foreign observers hope that the new regulation, which will take effect Dec. 1, might prove a valuable experiment for improving the press release system in China.
In an exclusive interview Friday, Su Huijin, director of the Shenzhen Municipal Government Information Office, told the Shenzhen Daily: “The accountability mechanism is not a tool to punish officials for their inaction, it was set up to push government openness by standardizing press releases and improving the quality of spokespersons.”
In earlier interviews, Su described what he called the “random, passive and disorderly situation surrounding government press releases.” The new regulation, he said, would protect the right of journalists to access government officials and citizens’ right to information.
After the announcement of the new regulation Sept. 15, Su spoke of the challenges ahead, with much work to coordinate and prepare within a limited time frame.
“We are now working on a schedule to train spokespersons and government employees, implementing the requirements stipulated in the regulation. It is systematic work that needs a lot of coordination,” said Su.
“We will also provide courses relating to news releases for government employees to improve their news awareness after the regulation takes effect,” he said.
Under the new regulation, the top official of each government department will be accountable for press releases and dissemination of information to the media. The official may designate a spokesman, usually a deputy chief, and set up a spokesperson’s office to handle routine press issues.
The regulation, which was revised nine times in 18 months, requires that government agencies publicize city-approved documents within seven working days and release information about emergencies within two hours of the launch of an emergency response.
A news release hall that can accommodate 100 journalists is under construction. A 24-hour hotline to accept media inquiries, complaints and interview requests will open within the year.
“This shows the government’s determination to be more open and we will attain this through effective, practical and hard work,” said Su.
The city government started to introduce the spokesperson system in 1985 and has so far formed a three-level spokesperson network with nearly 800 press release officers.
“The present system lacks iron rules, which may lead spokespersons to evade responsibility, refuse inquiries from journalists with various excuses or make no comment on hot issues and emergencies,” Su said.
“We aim to change and improve the system through this new regulation.”