Opposition spokesperson on information and public education, Nekeisha Burchell, has reiterated a call for information minister Senator Dana Morris Dixon to urgently implement a comprehensive social media policy for government officials.

This call follows incident an where Sports Minister Olivia Grange shared a photo featuring Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and former Prime Minister PJ Patterson, and herself observing Saturday’s, May 25, cricket match at Sabina Park.

Burchell accused Grange of failing to acknowledge Patterson in the captioned post.

“This incident is not isolated. Recently, the nation was deeply troubled when Mr Alando Terrelonge’s social media page posted a photograph defacing the images of former Prime Ministers PJ Patterson and Portia Simpson-Miller using emojis while leaving the images of Jamaica Labour Party Prime Ministers untouched. Mr Terrelonge attributed this action to a staffer, yet the photograph remained on the page for several hours, causing significant public distress,” Burchell said.

She said the implementation of a comprehensive social media policy will ensure proper management and oversight of government social media pages and maintain the integrity of official communications.

Burchell added that a well-defined social media policy is crucial for maintaining the dignity of our public figures and the trust of the Jamaican people in their government.

She the policy should:

• Streamline Official Government Sources: Clearly differentiate between personal and official social media pages of government officials to avoid confusion. The public should be informed if a page is personal/partisan and not to be treated as an official government communication channel. Management of personal pages should not be funded by public resources.

• Primary Spaces for Public Information: Ensure that official social media pages of ministries, departments, and agencies of the government serve as the primary sources of public information, minimising the risk of misinformation or misrepresentation from personal pages. These pages should be current, managed by accountable officers, and avoid communication gaps that force the public to seek information from personal or partisan pages of government officials.

• Oversight and Management: Implement strict guidelines for the management and oversight of social media pages maintained by government officials to uphold professionalism and respect in all communications.