PRO.PR conference: KAS addresses political communication - Media Programme Southeast Europe
Event Reports
The Head of the KAS Media Program South East Europe, Christian Spahr, gave a speech about the challenges of political communication in the region. He introduced current projects of the KAS Media Program – amongst others the activities of SEECOM, the first professional association of government spokespersons in Europe, which has been co-founded by KAS.
Spahr explained how the understanding of political communication has changed: "Governments and political parties have to communicate their decisions more intensively. Citizens’ expectations have increased. A modern political communication lives from the dialog with the citizens, not only within the political elite."
Spahr explained current trends that influenced the political communication. According to him, the use of digital technology has increased rapidly in the region. However, digital opportunities for political parties and governments are still not exploited to the full extent.
The KAS expert emphasised on regional challenges for political PR managers. He added that the media landscapes of South East Europe are polarised and relationships between journalists and press spokespersons are suffering from a lack of ethical standards. Moreover, Spahr gave recommendations for the professionalisation of the political communication of political parties and governments.
Other speakers at this year’s conference were amongst others Prof. Dr. Dieter Georg Herbst from the University of Arts in Berlin, London-based local government PR expert Cormac Smith and Julia Gryaznova, member of the Russian Public Relations Association (RPRA). Furthermore, different representatives of international communication agencies took part in the conference.
Christian Spahr’s presentation is available here.
