Northern news readers in the age of Covid-19 have no doubt become somewhat acquainted with the formal designation over the last month or so SA国际影视传媒� most media stories covering the territorial governmentSA国际影视传媒檚 response to the novel coronavirus outbreak are riddled with the two-word title.
ItSA国际影视传媒檚 not an unknown moniker.
South of the border, some familiar-faced press secretaries have become household names; and in Canada, Ian Cameron helms the boat for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau amid a sea of questions for journalists.
Yet here, in the NWT, thereSA国际影视传媒檚 no name attached to the role SA国际影视传媒� a role thatSA国际影视传媒檚 disseminating the bulk of information to worried residents across the NWT amid Covid-19.
In the wake of the alarming spread of the virus and the social clampdown that followed, all media requests, regardless of their intended recipients in whatever governmental department, are being directed to the press secretarySA国际影视传媒檚 email.
In an effort to attribute the title to a name, SA国际影视传媒 reached out to the press secretary last week.
SA国际影视传媒 was told the GNWT wouldn't be linking the cascade of government Covid-19-related comments to a sole source -- or name.
SA国际影视传媒淐abinet Communications monitors the press secretary email account and we are coordinating all responses received with the appropriate departments,SA国际影视传媒� read the press secretarySA国际影视传媒檚 response.
SA国际影视传媒淏ecause of that, it wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be appropriate for the content to be attributed to the person replying to you,SA国际影视传媒� continued the statement, which added the press secretary is essentially a SA国际影视传媒渕iddle man SA国际影视传媒� helping to make sure reporters have one place to go to get their information instead of needing to reach out to multiple departments individually.SA国际影视传媒�
ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 all well and good for Rylund Johnson, who says he SA国际影视传媒渦nderstand(s) the centralizing of one email.SA国际影视传媒�
The lack of attribution, however, is troubling for the Yellowknife North MLA.
SA国际影视传媒淚f Cabinet (Communications) is also massaging the message coming out of departments and then not attributing decisions to actual people we lack the transparency needed from our government where such important decisions are being made,SA国际影视传媒� Johnson told SA国际影视传媒 in an email Monday.
SA国际影视传媒淚 find it concerning when answers are attributed to the Press Secretary as some abstract decision-maker as opposed to the people making decisions,SA国际影视传媒� added Johnson.
He said GNWT communications is set up to help experts in speaking with the media, not to SA国际影视传媒渃reate a faceless barrier and filter everything into amorphous comms speak that is unhelpful to both the public and the press.SA国际影视传媒�
Johnson said heSA国际影视传媒檚 becoming more and more concerned with the overuse of communications employees speaking for themselves SA国际影视传媒� instead of messaging coming from department experts or the ministers in charge.
SA国际影视传媒淚n the midst of a health crisis,SA国际影视传媒� Johnson said GNWT statements involving health decisions should be anchored to the name of doctors or nurses informing the decisions, or the name of the appropriate minister.
In their statement to SA国际影视传媒 last week, the press secretary said attributions will SA国际影视传媒渙n occasionSA国际影视传媒� be sent to the press.
SA国际影视传媒淚f the response comes directly from Dr. Kandola, a minister, etc., weSA国际影视传媒檒l be sure to let you know so you can attribute it to them,SA国际影视传媒� stated the press secretary. In the meanwhile, itSA国际影视传媒檚 best for media to attribute information from the press secretary as coming from the GNWT, in general,SA国际影视传媒� read the response.
Johnson said media should not have quotes attributed to SA国际影视传媒渘ameless actors.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淲e must know who is making the decisions,SA国际影视传媒� he wrote.
In any case, said Johnson, itSA国际影视传媒檚 never Cabinet CommunicationsSA国际影视传媒� job to make any decisions SA国际影视传媒� instead, theySA国际影视传媒檙e there to simply convey those made by elected officials or frontline experts.
