English reading

On the south bank of the Saint-Laurent River in Quebec - Canada, Kim Bergeron, communication and public affairs adviser at the La Matanie Regional County Municipality (a community of municipalities), is working on prompts to help her on the job. She won’t be beaten by the untamed nature of the Gaspésie region, nor by ChatGPT: she has everything under control!

What role can public institutions play in defining standards for AI? Questioned during a break in the recent days devoted to examining the OECD’s public communication network, Andréa Baronchelli, a professor at City University London and a specialist on the subject, reminded listeners of the role of the law and empirical practices in constructing a normative framework. However he also underscored the importance for organisations of adopting standards suited to the issues of transparency, responsiveness and customisation, which ensure an ethical and effective use of AI.

How can stakeholders refresh their communication on a leading subject, a marker of the local heritage already covered countless times? The communication specialists at Eurêka, the Eure department’s marketing agency, have addressed this issue with regard to the 150th anniversary of impressionism with a healthy dose of daring and have managed to create a novel connection between territory and trend. We unpack their “First impression” campaign, which won the Cap’Com Grand Prix 2024.

The relations between institutions and all public-sector communicators in their efforts to combat fake news were at the centre of debate during the plenary meeting of the Club of Venice, attended by European governments’ communicators, on 5 and 6 December 2024 in Italy. Cap’Com, an associate member of the Club, took the opportunity to put a few questions to the organisation’s secretary general, Vincenzo Le Voci.

For Kristina Plavšak Krajnc, independent international correspondent and director of Media Forum, the key to strengthening democratic resilience lies in effective public communication. With more than 20 years of experience, she works to raise professional standards in the communication of public institutions and raise awareness of good practices.

Since 2020, the mission of the Public Communication Network - part of the OECD's Open Government Unit - has been to promote citizen-centred public communication as a tool for policy development and open government. The network's 8th meeting was held at the OECD headquarters in Paris on 5 and 6 June 2024. Cap'Com was among those attending.

Canadians are a mischievous lot. With 65,000 French residents, it seemed only right that Tourisme Montréal should ask for the Olympic torch to pass through the city The request is symbolic, but the call to visit their city, which was posted on YouTube at the end of April (2 million views), is very real.

Maybe you're an enthusiastic user, a tempered novice or an outspoken detractor... in any case, artificial intelligence triggers a wide range of spontaneous reactions among communicators. Somewhere between myth and science fiction, Cap'Com's latest infographic offers some pointers on how to adopt the best professional stance when it comes to this new realm of exploration. So, are you a cyborg or a centaur when it comes to artificial intelligence?

For Saman Nazari, the “fairy tale” of social media as a free and useful agora is behind us. With his organization Alliance4Europe, he takes concrete action to make these spaces safer by offering a common language and approach, allowing us to understand and manage the flow of disinformation.

Croatia is now a member of the EU, but it still remembers lost dialogue and the voice of war. At a recent symposium of European communicators in Dubrovnik, it was interesting to talk to Zvonimir Frka-Petešić, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Croatia, about the fragile power of dialogue and the virtues of public communication in the face of the political and climatic challenges that lie ahead.

Tired of being confused with Switzerland, Sweden launched a tongue-in-cheek video at the end of October, via the country's tourist board (Visit Sweden), pointing out the differences between the two countries.

A few years ago, the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) significantly changed certain digital communication practices, particularly for public communication. In the summer of 2023, a new EU legal arsenal came into force, called the Digital Services Act. What changes does this have in store for public communication?

Are we worried about disinformation in our daily lives? Not sufficiently so for Klimentini Diakomanoli, author of "Fake news, what is Europe doing?” published this spring. By appointing her as President of the Cap'Com Grand Prix, the network of public communicators is sending out a signal, namely that all forms of communication are now suffering from the twofold effect of the spread of fake news and widespread mistrust.

The European Economic and Social Council is joining in the efforts of all European players to rally support on the eve of an important election, with one goal in mind, namely to bring the European institutions closer to citizens. A major communication campaign is underway, which is due to run for three months. Commonality put three questions to Alexander Kleinig, EESC Communications Director, to find out more.

Is European action soluble in the regions? During the 2023 Dubrovnik seminar, Cap'Com, the French network for public territorial communication, focused on the case of Eusalp, one of these macro-regional strategies, and interviewed local players and the Communications Director of Grenoble-Alpes-Métropole, one of the cities involved. The results were mixed.

These journalists attended a public communications training course in Paris from 26 June to 7 July. A working meeting was organised by Cap’Com in the town of Guyancourt to explore how our jobs differ from one country to another and to present the distinctive features of these jobs as they relate to France.

Following her appointment as chair of the Municipal Communicators’ Association of Quebec Province (Canada), Annie Lafrenière spoke to Commonality about the challenges facing our profession in North America and the reasons why local communications are more relaxed than in other jurisdictions. A source of inspiration, but also a model approach, especially when you consider what our Canadian colleagues are going through at the moment, with massive forest fires ravaging several provinces.

Every year, the International Responsible Film Festival Deauville Green Awards turns the spotlight on raising awareness through images, stories and emotion. The 12th edition of the festival, of which Cap’Com is a partner, was held on 7 and 8 June. Here’s a look back at the best films from the 2023 awards.

The annual conference of the Municipal Communicators’ Association of Quebec was held at the end of May in Saint-Hyacinthe, near Montreal. The event is the highlight of the vibrant, innovative network’s year. It was an opportunity for our colleagues to share best practices, listen to talks and celebrate the winners of the “Plumes d’Excellence” awards. Cap’Com was of course represented and involved.

Soaring prices and a new shopping experience at The Drop Store. Opened by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this dystopian online store offers everyday products at exorbitant prices to highlight the future impact of the global water shortage on people’s daily lives.