IPPN

Published: 02 January 2012

THE Department of Education has added Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets to news sources that it monitors each morning.

Officials in Education Minister Ruairi Quinn’s department have increased to over 160 the number of key phrases and names to be scanned across all news forums as a way of tracking what is being said and written about education. 

The new service, to begin in mid-January, will mean any newspaper article or online item featuring the names of ministers at the department, education journalists and or any of the other key words will be e-mailed to senior Department of Education management by 9am on weekdays and before midday at weekends. They are also notified of radio or TV stories and debates on education, with the option of getting recordings or transcripts. 

As well as issues specific to education and topical areas of policy, such as "class sizes", "prefab" and "third level", the list of key words supplied to tender applicants for the contract includes areas of wider government policy that may be relevant. These include: "quangos", "public sector reform", "national recovery plan" and "eGovernment". 

The current system of press cuttings and monitoring radio and television is supplied separately by two companies at a total cost of almost €46,400 a year.