ECI Trains 350+ Media Officers for Election Communication
Conference focuses on voter outreach, misinformation control and public engagement
- Over 350 media and communication officers attended
- Representatives from all 36 States and UTs participated
- Focus on combating misinformation and improving voter awareness
- Best practices from recent State elections shared
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 12th June: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday organised a one-day Conference for Media and Communication Officers, bringing together Media Nodal Officers (MNOs), Social Media Nodal Officers (SMNOs) and District Media Nodal Officers from across the country to strengthen election-related communication and public outreach.
More than 350 officers, including MNOs and SMNOs from all 36 States and Union Territories, participated in the programme. District Media Nodal Officers and District Public Relations Officers from States and UTs where Phase-III of the Special Intensive Revision is underway, as well as poll-bound States, also attended the conference.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, addressed the participants.
Speaking at the conference, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said the recently concluded elections in five States witnessed unprecedented public participation since Independence. He urged officers to ensure that election-related communication remains timely, fact-based, legally sound and easy for citizens to understand.
Election Commissioner Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu emphasized that communication efforts should be judged by their impact rather than merely the volume of information disseminated. Election Commissioner Dr. Vivek Joshi highlighted the role of communication officers in ensuring that the Commission’s rules, instructions and guidelines reach the public in a simple and accessible format.
The conference featured sessions on communication strategies across the election cycle, covering electoral rolls, polling processes, ECINET, constitutional provisions, election laws and recent Supreme Court orders. Participants also attended practical sessions on drafting press notes, leveraging media and social media platforms, countering misinformation, engaging young voters through Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELCs), and communicating ECI initiatives effectively.
The programme also facilitated experience-sharing by officers from States that recently conducted elections, enabling the dissemination of best practices. The sessions concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner.
