This document summarizes the results of a biennial survey of journalists in Estonia about their views of government agencies' media relations and communication practices. Some key findings from the survey include that the average response rate is 20-25% and most respondents have 10+ years of experience. The survey evaluates agencies on factors like availability of managers, neutrality, social media use, website quality, promptness, clarity of information, and press officer responsiveness. A separate section of the document outlines core communication values for Estonian government agencies and describes how the survey provides standardized feedback to help agencies improve practices.

1. Measuring
communication
Martin Jaško

2. Government agencies’
relations with the media
• survey among journalists to get an overview of government agencies’
media relations, since 1997*
• web-based survey, financed by Government Office
• conducted every two years by independent research company
• average response percentage 20-25% (total 86 in year 2015)
• 13% editors in chief, 40% editors, 38% reporters, 6% correspondents
• work experience as a journalist: 51% >10y; 31% 4-10y; 9% 1-3y
• media channel: 30% regional newspaper; 36% national newspaper; 12%
radio; 12% TV; 6% news agency; 5% news portal

3. Government agencies’
relations with the media
• availability of institution’s
managers
• party-political neutrality
• use of social media
• institution’s web-page
• informing promptness
• information clearness and
intelligibility
• reliability of information
• availability of press officer
• responsiveness
• openness of information
• overall image of institution
• media communication skills
• speed of responding to
queries

4. Core values of
Estonian government communication
• availability of institution’s
managers
• party-political neutrality
(justifiability)
• use of social media
(innovativeness)
• institution’s web-page
• informing promptness
• information clearness and
intelligibility
(comprehensibility)
• reliability of information
(responsibility)
• availability of press officer
• responsiveness
• openness of information
• overall image of institution
• media communication skills
(honesty, cooperation)
• speed of responding to
queries (respect)

6. Government agencies’
relations with the media
• standard approach
• comparable results
• trend-lines
• no extra cost to institutions
• stresses gov comms values
• detailed assessment tool
• feedback to management
• limited focus
• ignores differences
• results influenced heavily by
minister’s person
• results based on small group
• enhances unnecessary
competition

8. 0
350
700
217
259261272
344
529
692
Prime minister Foreign minister
Minister of agriculture Minister of infrastructure
Minister of environment Interior minister
Finance minister
Media mentions of ministers (august 2014)
Source: ETA Monitooring

9. Government communication office
assessment index
• yearly average trustworthiness of the government - (25%)
Eurobarometer survey
• media’s assessment of the government communication office work - (45%)
Government agencies’ relations with the media
• trustworthiness of the European Union - (10%)
Eurobarometer survey
• percentage of people who are proud of being inhabitants of Estonia - (10%)
Public perception survey
• percentage of people for whom the Estonian national symbols are important,
and they use the Estonian flag - (10%)
Public perception survey

10. Government communication office
assessment index
formula
data
2010
score
2010
data
2012
score
2012
trustworthiness of
the government
x/10*0,25 55 1,375 38 0,950
media’s
assessment
10/9*x*0,45 6,96 3,480 6,68 3,340
trustworthiness of
the EU
x/10*0,1 64 0,640 46 0,460
proud of being in-
habitants of EST
x/10*0,1 70 0,700 70 0,700
national symbols
are important
x/10*0,05 84 0,420 84 0,420
use of Estonian
flag
x/10*0,05 77 0,385 77 0,385
7,0 6,3Source: Government Office

12. Thank you!