The health ministry has drawn up guidelines outlining points to consider when creating advertisements in collaboration with movies and television dramas to raise awareness of government policies. The move came after a poster promoting support for cancer patients that the ministry created in a tie-up with a film drew criticism on social media, informed sources said. To raise awareness of the support system for cancer patients, the ministry partnered with a film about a woman who was diagnosed with cancer.
It sent the poster to hospitals and other institutions, but faced repeated criticism, with some questioning what patients would think of the poster given the film deals with the death of a woman. The ministry eventually called on institutions to take it down. The guidelines call for confirming “whether such policy ads would be accepted by the people concerned” and “whether they pose a risk of fostering misunderstanding or prejudice.” The guidelines state that the public relations office first checks the relevance of the policy, whether the content is sound and whether there are any social risks for people appearing in the ads.
Next, staff in the section in charge watch a preview to familiarize themselves with the content before presenting the advertising plan to the parties concerned, as well as patients and their families. For example, the guidelines say that opinions should be sought from cancer survivors, patients’ families and medical professionals when planning awareness campaigns promoting cancer screening. Finally, any tie-up would be confirmed by the director of the bureau in charge.
Among government agencies, the Justice Ministry had partnered with an internet program featuring a former motorcycle gang member, but later canceled the tie-up following criticism of a remark made by one of the cast members. The issue is a common challenge for all government ministries and agencies, and the health ministry has received inquiries about its guidelines, sources familiar with the matter said.
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