Do We Need Government Information Services?
| Date | 01 December 1957 |
| Author | T. Fife Clark |
| Published date | 01 December 1957 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1957.tb01315.x |
Do
We Need Government Information
Services
?
By
T.
FIFE
CLARK,
C.B.E.
This
talk
was
given
on
11th
hlarch,
1957,
in
the
Iiistittrte’s
series
of
lecture-discussions an
‘‘
Basic
Questions
in
Goeleririnenr T6-day.” Mr.
Fife
Clark
is
Director General
of
the Central Office
of
Infomatian.
HE
title
I
have been given for this talk is
“
Do We Need Government
T
Information Services
?”
I
accept this under protest!
It
seems to me
chat in
1957,
after more than ten years with a Central Office of Information
and almost a whole generation of experience of Departmental Press and
Public Relations Divisions, the question is not whether, or even why, but
how and how much.
I
will try to explain
why,
and say something about
how
;
but hope that no one will expect me, at a time when the Chancellor
of
the Duchy of Lancaster in his new capacity as co-ordinator of Government
Information Services is carrying out an enquiry into the volume and disposition
of overseas expenditure in this field, to be very definite about
hoill,
much.”
As
a preliminary to discussion,
I
will offer a few generalisations and give a
brief history
of
information work as a specialised function
of
government
both at home and abroad, and some account of principles and practices as
I
see them, and
of
the current organisation of this work in a Government
Department and for the Government as a whole.
The Growth
of
Government
Information
Services
What we are concerned with tonight is a deliberate, sustained, and
comprehensive effort to collect and issue official news and explanation.
Giving and getting information has, of course, always been a part of govern-
ment-a normal function
of
Departments at home and
of
diplomatic missions
abroad. The growth of specialised machinery for this purpose has been
due to a tremendous increase in people’s need for information and capacity
to
imbibe it-due largely to the widening impact of public schemes and to
universal education-coinciding with intensive expansion
of
the means of
dissemination. We have seen, in the last
35
years, the birth of radio and
of
sound films, the development of colour photography and other techniques
of visual reproduction, newspapers and magazines with greatly increased
circulations finding more
“
news value
”
in public affairs, and generally an
immense growth in the producing and distributing mechanisms of publicity
*The White Paper on
Overseas Information Services
(Command
225)
published in
July,
1957,
following a Ministerial inquiry, concluded
:
“
Britain’s full influence can
be exercised only if we are prepared to devote enough effort and resources to ensuring
that the peoples of other countries have every opportunity to understand our ideas,
our policies and our objectives. Furthermore, we shall strengthen our economic
position only if our efforts include vigorous salesmanship overseas.”
‘The
White Paper
announced an expansion ofthe order
of
15
per cent. in terms of annual revenue expenditure
-i.e., a total of E15,000,000
a
year compared with E13,000,000 currently expended-
as
“
necessary to maintain Britain’s Information Services at a level consistent with our
world-wide responsibility and to ensure the necessary reinforcement of our national
policies and our associations in the defence of the free world.”
335
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