ECI holds a one-day conference for Media and Communication Officers
By PIB Delhi
- Election Commission of India (ECI) organised a one-day Conference for Media and Communication Officers, bringing together MNOs and SMNOs from all 36 States/UTs, along with District Media Nodal Officers/District PROs from the States/UTs in which Phase-III of Special Intensive Revision is underway and poll-bound States.
- Over 350 Media and Communication Officers, including Media Nodal Officers (MNOs) and Social Media Nodal Officers (SMNOs) and District Media Nodal Officers/District PROs, participated in the programme.
- Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, addressed the participants during the conference.
- Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Shri Gyanesh Kumar stressed that in the recently concluded elections in five states, there was an unprecedented level of public participation since independence. He added that the officers should ensure that their communication is timely, easy to understand, and based on facts and law.
- In his address, Election Commissioner Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu said that communication should focus on impact rather than just input. Addressing the participants, Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi, said that the officers play an important role in ensuring that the rules, instructions, and guidelines of the Commission reach the public in a readily understandable format.
- The conference began with a wide overview of communication strategies across the election cycle — from roll to poll, ECINET, important constitutional provisions, laws, and recent apex court orders and their interplay with the media. Practical sessions on planning press notes and amplifying them through media and social media, tackling misinformation and narratives, engaging young electors through ELCs, and communicating ECI initiatives to the public.
- The one-day conference facilitated experience sharing by the officers from the States that went to the polls recently and the dissemination of best practices.
- The sessions were also followed by a Question and Answer (Q&A) session between the participants and the Commission, chaired by CEC Shri Gyanesh Kumar.
