Implementing the Regulations on Spokesperson and Information Provision to the Press

(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of August 7th in Hanoi, the Ministry of Information and Communications held a conference to implement Decision 25/2013/QD-TTg dated May 4, 2013, of the Prime Minister promulgating the "Regulations on Spokesperson and Information Provision to the Press". Representatives from press agencies, press management agencies, and spokespersons of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities from Quang Tri northward participated in the conference.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Do Quy Doan emphasized: "In the era of global information explosion, the Government's issuance of the Regulations on Spokesperson and Information Provision to the Press is of great significance, creating conditions for State administrative agencies to proactively provide official information to the press, as well as regulations on spokesperson to meet the information needs of the public."

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Do Quy Doan delivered a speech at the conference.

The briefing on the implementation of Decision 25, presented by the Director of the Press Department, Hoang Huu Luong, clearly outlined the new points of the regulations on public speaking. The new regulations have 3 chapters and 10 articles, are effective from July 1, 2013, and replace the regulations issued under Decision No. 77/2007/QD-TTg dated May 28, 2007.

Compared to the old regulations, this new regulation includes new provisions aimed at clarifying the content and methods of information provision, the responsibilities of heads of state administrative agencies in organizing and directing the dissemination of information to the press, and creating favorable conditions and an environment for the operational activities of press agencies and journalists.

Director of the Press Department Hoang Huu Luong implements the Regulations on Spokesperson's Statements.

Article 2 of the new regulations stipulates that each state administrative agency has three individuals responsible for speaking to and providing information to the press: the head of the state administrative agency; the person assigned by the head of the state administrative agency to regularly speak to and provide information to the press; and the authorized spokesperson (an additional authorized spokesperson has been added). Regarding the timeframe for providing information, the new regulations shorten the mandatory period for providing periodic information to the press from 3 months to 1 month; and the maximum timeframe for holding press conferences to provide information from 6 months to 3 months. For exceptional, unusual, or significant cases with a major impact on society within the agency's purview, the timeframe for providing information to the press is shortened from 2 days to 1 day from the date the incident occurs.

Overview of the conference

The regulations on the responsibilities of heads of state administrative agencies, in Clause 2, Article 5, stipulate: The head of the administrative agency must be responsible for the agency's statements and information provided to the press, even if they delegate this responsibility to others. This is a significant difference from the old regulations. The new regulations, in Article 8, stipulate the handling of violations in the field of public speaking, stating: "Relevant agencies and organizations that fail to implement, implement incorrectly, or implement incompletely the provisions of these regulations will, depending on the nature and severity of the violation, be subject to disciplinary action, administrative penalties, or criminal prosecution in accordance with the law."

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Do Quy Doan answers questions from the press regarding the implementation of Decision 25 of the Prime Minister.

The conference also provided an opportunity to learn about the basic skills of a spokesperson, the work of publicizing information on foreign affairs, and the dissemination of information regarding maritime issues and the protection of national sovereignty.

Phan Nguyen