VICTORIA, Seychelles — As part of a comprehensive five-day orientation programme for the 8th cohort of the National Assembly, the members took part in an interactive session on Wednesday afternoon with media representatives from three leading local outlets, namely the Seychelles NATION produced by the National Information Services Agency, Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation and Today in Seychelles.
The session, held under the theme ‘How to engage with the Media?’, aimed to help members of the National Assembly (MNAs) better understand the role of the media, how to communicate effectively, and how to make the most of available media platforms to share information with the public. The session began with a joint presentation by Angelique Hill, director for public relations and protocol, and Travis Boniface, senior parliamentary media operations officer, who explained how MNAs could make use of the parliament’s communication services and the established channels for media engagement.
Following the presentation, MNAs were given the opportunity to raise questions and share their perspectives. Some of the key questions discussed included whether the media tends to favour the minority in parliament, and who is responsible for contacting the media to cover an activity in a district or within the parliamentary compound. Each media representative also took the floor to explain the internal protocols and editorial policies of their respective organisations, emphasising that while the media plays an essential role in informing the public, their primary focus is on reporting issues and projects of national and community interest.
The session was part of a week-long induction programme for the new members of the National Assembly, which is being led by the National Assembly secretariat and supported by various constitutional and oversight bodies.
