Tag: communications

30th March 2017 London, UK

Hugh Elliott

Hugh Elliott

Director of Communication

Digital Diplomacy: are we the champions?

Last year, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs brought together an interesting bunch of people from around the world, and me, to discuss digital diplomacy.  I found myself speaking second on a panel.  The first speaker announced the publication of the Digital Diplomacy Review 2016, ranking foreign ministries around the world.  The United Kingdom was top. […]

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29th July 2015 Skopje, North Macedonia

Voicing the public interest in Macedonia

Having in mind the recent political developments in the country, it has never been more important to deconstruct the meaning of the term Public interest. It seems that the term has various meanings, depending on who you ask, and whose interests are on the line. In general, public interest involves matters, or policies that affect […]

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28th May 2015

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

‘Excellence’ in Holy See communications

Amongst the various reforms underway at the Vatican, one that has generated considerable interest is the reform of Holy See communications. There had for many years been criticism of a lack of coordination and high levels of duplication in Holy See communications. The last decade had also seen a number of avoidable communications errors that […]

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25th June 2014 Toronto, Canada

The most interesting article on digital diplomacy you’ll read all day

This article originally appeared in the Whitsun 2014 (Vol 71 No 2) edition of Science in Parliament, the journal of the UK’s Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. You’re browsing a news site, and see the following link: 12 risky British discoveries that changed our world. Do you click it? Even though it’s recognisably link bait, carefully […]

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28th May 2014

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Digital diplomacy, communications and the Holy See

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our global diplomatic network lead the way in the development of digital diplomacy (or “Twiplomacy” as it is sometimes called: Twitter + Diplomacy). Some people, retired diplomats amongst them, have been critical of “tweeting ambassadors”. Yet our experience has been a positive one. Whether we like it or not, we […]

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21st March 2014

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Twiplomacy and the Communicator Pope

Modern diplomats, and modern Popes, are in the communications business. It remains right that there are still some government activities that are conducted behind the scenes, in confidence, with discretion, without fanfare. But modern diplomats must also persuade, which means delivering a convincing message, sometimes to the broadest possible audience, including on twitter and other […]

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24th December 2013

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Communicating the Good News

Pope Francis places great emphasis in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Guadium on communication. In large part, he declares, communicating the Gospel is the Church’s principal mission statement. This is not, of course, a new message, although the emphasis may be. But it was perhaps no coincidence that the Holy See recently announced that the means of communication […]

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27th September 2013

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Being Connected: The Holy See and Communications

I suspect that until quite recently, not many people would have mentioned the Vatican in the same breath as the giants of global communications. Innovators like the BBC, global news operations like CNN, or social media like Facebook or Twitter. The Holy See speaks to us about tradition, the faith, the power of the pulpit. […]

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24th January 2012

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Communications, Silence, and Survival

It was interesting to see Pope Benedict speaking today about communications, in advance of the 20 May World Day of Social Communications. We are all in the business. From bloggers like me, to Foreign Ministries striving to get their “angle” across, from the frenzied activity of Twitter, to the simple conversation on the mobile. We […]

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