The new director of the Government Information Bureau, Inês Chan, explained yesterday that journalists had not been invited to recent government events, such as her own inauguration ceremony, due to Covid-19 containment measures.
The media industry voiced its concern this week having not been invited to cover the inauguration ceremonies of several government officials. The most recent ceremony was for the vice director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau.
In addition, journalists are no longer allowed to wait outside the meeting room during the Legislative Assembly’s committee meetings. They are now required to wait in a conference hall. These arrangements have even prompted lawmaker Sulu Sou to file an inquiry to the government.
“Although the conditions in Macau have improved, global conditions are still tough,” Chan explained. “That’s why we shouldn’t relax for the time being.”
She reiterated the government’s stance on resuming communal activities gradually.
“We have resumed some economic and communal activities,” the official noted. “But we have to operate some activities with restrictions on crowds gathering.”
The new publicity official stressed that the absence of journalists at her inauguration does not mean that the media is being downplayed, as she is meeting with media outlets individually to exchange ideas and learn about each outlet’s hardships.
Chan added that the media is crucial to the government’s administration. “We need to learn about public opinions from the media,” the official explained. “And we need the media to help with news dissemination as well.”
Finally, Chan noted that the government’s publicity office has a professional team, as well as herself, to help safeguard the dignity and freedoms of local journalists. AL
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