IAOS-OECD 2018 conference, 19-21 September 2018, Paris. More information at: http://www.oecd.org/iaos2018/

1. SESSION 5.D
How to talk to journalists? And for which outcome?
Perspective of a participant from a statistical office
Kamel GAANOUN
High Commission for Planning (HCP) – Morocco
k.gaanoun@hcp.ma
1
21 September 2018
Paris, France

2. 2
OUTLINE
C4S-Morocco Vision
The Regional Phase
The National Training Project
Implementation of the
C4S-Morocco Training
.
Key Learnings

3. C4S-Morocco Vision
P U
MEDIAS
Unemployment 9,4%
GDP=23412….
CPI
?
?
3

4. P U
Unemployment9,
4%
GDP=23412….
CPI
MEDIAS
C4S-Morocco Vision
4

5. THE REGIONAL PHASE
French-speaking and English-speaking groups
Multidisciplinary team:
• Journalist specialized in economics
• HCP’s Communication coordinator
• Statistician specialized in employment statistics
• Share of experience
• Peer review between national teams
• Facebook group
• Morocco shared materials with other teams
The face to face step, enabled us to ensure that
• the objectives are well defined
• the methods of training and animation are acquired to a suitable degree. 5

6. THE NATIONAL TRAINING PROJECT
• Initial C4S Topic : Employment
• C4S-Morocco:
• Employment
• Statistical Indices
• National Accounts
Which populations?What subjects ?
Journalists & Statisticians
Continuous process
included in the HCP’s training plan
Pool of journalists (trained on official statistics)
& statisticians (trained on communication technics) 6

7. Communication
Skills
Statisticians
Official Statistics
Journalists
Mutual Exchange
Both
1 2 3
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE C4S-MOROCCO TRAINING
7

8. 02/2018
Statisticians training (3
days)
2018
Regional trainings
(C4S)
05/2018
Journalists training
(EMPLOYMENT) (1 day)
06/2018
Half day animation for journalists
(Statistical indices)
09/2018
Half day animation for journalists (National
accounts)
12/2018
Workshop gathering all
journalists and
statisticians
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE C4S-MOROCCO TRAINING
8

9. Statisticians
1
Diverse training content
- Relationship between statistics and the media: statistician's point of view
- Relationship between statistics and the media: journalist point of view
- Importance of maintaining a good relationship between statisticians and
journalists
- Preparation of an interview with a journalist
- Writing an effective press release
- Successful press conference
- Communicate on social networks
- HCP communication process 2.0
- Role play: interview with a journalist
9
Objectives
Realize the importance of communication for statistics
Learn techniques and methodologies for communication for statistics
Be able to animate a session for the presentation of data.
Participants : 14 statisticians
2 representatives for each of the three selected disciplines
+
Statisticians from the regional directorates
Trainers
Journalist
+
Communication
coordinator
Journalist: The success key of the training

10. Journalists
2
10
Participants : 15 Journalists
15 Journalists représentative of the most active medias
Print (daily, weekly and monthly) & Audio-visual
Focus on the importance of international definitions and concepts and their
application by the HCP
Trainers
Statisticians
as
trainers or
facilitators
One day for national accounts after the success of statistical indices training

11. Employment session
• Very decisive : first contact with journalists
• Objectives of the process clarified
• Journalists’ expectations
• participation of the Head of the Employment Surveys Division
Journalists
2
11

12. Employment session
Journalists
2
Content
information note
What structure and
what content?Online Quiz
Information note
The hidden part
Discover the
concepts
underlying the
statistics
included in the
information
note
Give journalists a
turnkey guide to
better read the
information note
Conclusions
session
Analysis of some
articles
Analyze passages
from some
articles published
by their
colleagues
This session was
opened to the
journalists to
express their
remarks and
proposals
12

13. • Participants: Journalists and Statisticians of Steps 1 & 2
• Round tables
• Overall assessment
• Work groups : how we, statisticians, write our publications, and the reading that journalists
make of them?
• The goal will be to come out with recommendations on
• reading the figures
• writing effective briefing notes.
• Optimization of the relationship between journalists and statisticians in order to better
serve the general public
Both
3
13

14. KEY LEARNINGS
• Aware of the importance to be given to direct exchanges with the media in this form of training days.
• This new exchange format provides statisticians and journalists with more elements for improvement and
modernization than conventional opportunities such as press conferences.
• An opportunity that allowed the two actors to understand and also to better appreciate the work of each.
• Statisticians have been able to clarify their position of neutrality and scientific rigor with regard to the
different used concepts.
• They have also recognized the need to be able to combine this scientific rigor with a better communication
approach and thus improve the relationship with users, the media in the first place.
14

15. Thank you
Kamel GAANOUN
k.gaanoun@hcp.ma 15