Exploring strategies used by the office of the auditor general to sustain media relations

Abstract

This study explored the strategies employed by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) to maintain effective media relations. It was grounded in the public relation theory and information theory. It adopted a mixed methods research approach, utilizing in-depth interviews and structured interviews for data collection. The findings show that the OAG employs strategies such as press conferences, distribution of hard copy reports, and media facilitation to maintain media relations and that these strategies promote transparency and accountability by exposing corruption, gathering corruption-related information, and increasing public denunciation of corrupt acts. The study also found that greater access to information, empowerment of public relations officers, more one on one interviews, and enhanced use of social media were some of the ways the OAG could improve their media relations practice. The study concluded that institutions need several efforts to study media relations, and that there are still challenges those public institutions such OAG need to address to improve and sustain good media relations.