THE GOVERNMENT OF LITHUANIA: A NEW MEDIA TRAILBLAZER
Updated 2009-06-02
Lithuania is one of the first countries in Europe to issue blogger cards – accreditation cards that give bloggers access to government buildings and allow them to take part in news conferences alongside journalists working in traditional media.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius – who writes his own blog – the Government of the Republic of Lithuania has made new media channel accessibility one of its priorities in the communications sphere.
Lithuania's Government is also the first of the Baltic three to have set up a profile on the Facebook social networking site.
Currently, about 90,000 mostly younger Lithuanians are registered on Facebook, and this figure is expected to grow by leaps and bounds.
"We need to reach out to the younger generation via the media channels they feel comfortable with to ensure they are not indifferent to government and do not feel shut out of the process of government," says Laurynas Bučalis, head of the Lithuanian Government's Department of Communication.
Facebook users are encouraged to share their views of government policies and to put forward suggestions for reforms or improvements in the way the country is run.
The Government also maintains a MySpace page, which now offers a virtual tour of government buildings and provides information about the 2009 millennial celebration of the country's name, along with general information, photos, and videos for anyone wishing to learn more about Lithuania.
The latest decisions by the Cabinet of Ministers, along with the daily agenda of Prime Minister Kubilius are frequently published on Twitter, and Government news conferences are uploaded to the YouTube video sharing site.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius – who writes his own blog – the Government of the Republic of Lithuania has made new media channel accessibility one of its priorities in the communications sphere.
Lithuania's Government is also the first of the Baltic three to have set up a profile on the Facebook social networking site.
Currently, about 90,000 mostly younger Lithuanians are registered on Facebook, and this figure is expected to grow by leaps and bounds.
"We need to reach out to the younger generation via the media channels they feel comfortable with to ensure they are not indifferent to government and do not feel shut out of the process of government," says Laurynas Bučalis, head of the Lithuanian Government's Department of Communication.
Facebook users are encouraged to share their views of government policies and to put forward suggestions for reforms or improvements in the way the country is run.
The Government also maintains a MySpace page, which now offers a virtual tour of government buildings and provides information about the 2009 millennial celebration of the country's name, along with general information, photos, and videos for anyone wishing to learn more about Lithuania.
The latest decisions by the Cabinet of Ministers, along with the daily agenda of Prime Minister Kubilius are frequently published on Twitter, and Government news conferences are uploaded to the YouTube video sharing site.
