Morolong tells government communicators to answer fast as AI floods the information space
The Deputy Minister in The Presidency says the state can no longer wait for a finished statement before it enters a conversation, and that GCIS must set the agenda rather than chase it.
Government communicators must produce credible, timely information or watch someone else fill the vacuum, Deputy Minister in The Presidency Kenny Morolong told a Government Communication and Information System strategic session in Pretoria on Friday.
Morolong said the credibility of government communication is one of the state’s most important assets and must be protected. The problem, he said, is no longer simply that false information exists.
“The challenge is the speed, scale and reach with which information can now be produced and distributed,” he said.
Artificial intelligence has added a further dimension, and Morolong told the session that a more coordinated approach is needed across government and the wider communication environment. The state, he said, needs the capacity to place credible, authoritative and timely information directly into the information ecosystem.
The opportunity is not to produce more content. It is to build the capacity to be a trusted source for citizens, the media and other stakeholders, he said.
Morolong pointed to existing journalistic and editorial capabilities inside government as a foundation, and asked how those capabilities can be integrated and strengthened so that information moves through the system faster.
The rise of citizen journalism, he said, requires communicators to rethink internal processes. He asked whether the system can respond at the speed the environment demands, and said that where it cannot, it must be improved.
“Because in today’s environment, the absence of credible information creates space for someone else to fill the vacuum,” he said.
Government no longer has the luxury of waiting until every element of a formal communication product is finalised before entering a conversation, he said. Sometimes the first response must be digital, immediate, and simply establish the facts while indicating that more information will follow. He described that principle of a timely and scalable response as important.
Morolong said the GCIS Content Hub should set the agenda rather than merely respond to it. The hub, he said, must help government identify emerging issues, understand what citizens are talking about, spot information gaps and move from a reactive communication model to one that is anticipatory, coordinated and strategic. The aim is the right content, in the right format, on the right platform, at the right time.
He also used the session to press for an end to departmental silos. A whole-of-government approach cannot remain a phrase in a strategy document, he said, and must show up in how government plans, coordinates and communicates. Departments and entities have different mandates but operate within one government, and the clusters have a role beyond policy coordination in keeping communication around government priorities coherent.
“Our goal should be one government communication system that allows different parts of government to speak from a common strategic understanding while retaining the ability to communicate according to their specific mandates,” Morolong said.
Coordination at national level is not enough on its own. Morolong said the Media Development and Diversity Agency and community media matter because an informed citizenry cannot be built through national media, government websites and social platforms alone. Community media reaches people in their own languages and in the context of issues that affect them directly, he said, and discussions with the MDDA highlighted opportunities to strengthen its capacity, including digital capability, indigenous-language content, verification, editorial quality and audience reach.
He set out the standard he wants the GCIS brand to carry: trust, credibility, responsiveness, professionalism, coordination and strategic leadership.
“We need a GCIS that is faster without compromising accuracy. Digital without abandoning other platforms. Innovative without losing credibility. Coordinated without becoming bureaucratic. And strategic without losing sight of the citizen,” he said.
The session produced no resolution, deadline or published plan. What the Deputy Minister set out was a direction of travel for the communicators in the room, and the test he named is whether the system can respond at the speed of the environment it now operates in.
Source: SAnews (South African Government News Agency), Government communicators urged to safeguard public trust
