Communication Channels
For politicians, getting our message across at one time involved a limited number of communication channels. We could try arranging a public meeting and even invite our opponents, and call it a hustings. In years gone by, the most famous political speakers would attract sizeable audiences.
Apart from a political party’s own literature, the other main channel was provided by newspapers. It would be desirable to get positive coverage, particularly in those newspapers with the larger circulations. Then radio came along which reached a new mass audience, followed by television.
It was television that gave interviewers, and subsequently politicians, a greater test. Those people with a good face for radio lost a hiding place, while interviewers, initially at least, adopted a style that would seem obsequious today. A look back at some 1950’s political interviews included such classic questions as, “Now Prime Minister, do you mind if I ask you some questions about this subject?” There would be a fat chance of that happening today and just as well.
The greatest changes have been brought about by the electronic age. Everyone in business sends many more messages today via email then they ever would have done by paper memo inside an internal mail envelope. Then there are social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter, plus professional networks such as Linkedin. This is in addition to blogs (short for web logs), which, while powerful, often suffer from a lack of committed updating by their owners.
I was told recently that some 87% of 16-24 year-olds is registered with some form of social media. On average each person has between 400-800 friends. That does not necessary make somebody a pariah if they have fewer than this. In any case, these are huge audiences with the potential to communicate messages very rapidly and very widely.
Our diverse range of communication channels provides both challenges and opportunities. For local authorities, it is essential that we use all of these means to communicate, and Crawley Borough Council has both a Facebook and Twitter presence as well as its website. All methods should be used not just to send out information but also when conducting public consultations.
It is also important to realise that the advent of new communications channels has not shut down the more traditional ones. People do still write letters. We read newspapers and listen to the radio as well. If we are all to reach each other, all channels are valid and must be used.
Councillor Bob Lanzer, Leader of Crawley Borough Council
19th July 2011