1. Would you read this book?
14-15 May 2015
Presentation to the Ombudsman Association Biennial Conference
Ben Hagard, Head of the Communication Unit
European Ombudsman

2. Who here has read the European Ombudsman’s Annual Reports 1995-2012?

3. If ombudsmen and their staff don’t read them, why would the public?

4. July 2013 New Ombudsman elected
Emily O’Reilly
National Ombudsman of Ireland
Award-winning investigative journalist
Three priorities: visibility, impact, relevance

5. Our priority for 2014: Transform the Report

6. But first we had to face some myths…

7. Myth n° 1 We publish for the citizens

8. European Parliament Rules of Procedure
Annex X, article 3:
8. At the end of each annual session the Ombudsman shall submit to the European Parliament a report on the outcome of his inquiries.
The Annual Report is an obligation
Obligations don’t usually encourage dynamism

9. We should publish for the citizens

10. Myth n° 2 All we need is good content

11. Annual Report 2012 Would you read this?
100 pages
Detailed analysis of cases closed
Complex statistics
No interactivity
If you wouldn’t why would the public?

12. Good content is good, targeted content is better

13. Myth n° 3 One product can serve diverse audiences

14. Annual Report 2012 With one publication we were trying to satisfy:
MEPs
Legal specialists
Potential complainants
The general public
By trying to satisfy everyone we satisfied no one

15. Diverse audiences need diverse products

16. The solution? eBook

17. Our aim: To push eBook to its limits!

18. Solution n° 1 A much shorter and much longer Annual Report!

19. Annual Report 2013 The Report is now only 40 pages long
Written for a generalist public
Far more accessible
But it contains over 200 active links for those who want to read more
Making it by far the longest Report ever!

20. Solution n° 2 Full online interactivity

21. Annual Report 2013 Social media content embeded throughout the eBook
Tweets, Google+, Storify all clickable from within the eBook
Sharable via our social media platforms

22. Annual Report 2013 Infographics embeded into the eBook
Over a dozen infographics clickable from within the eBook
Sharable via our website

23. Annual Report 2013 Videos integrated into the eBook
Video highlights of all key events
Video presentations of key cases
Clickable, not embeded, to ensure maximum compatibility
Sharable via the European Commission website

24. Solution n° 3 A separate publication for legal specialists!

25. Thematic analysis 2013
Detailed legal analysis of the cases closed in 2013

26. And all this in 24 languages…

27. Positive feedback received

28. European Parliament Report and vote in January 2015
Overwhelming approval for the new format
“Commends this new approach on the Ombudsman’s part, […] to make her institution as accessible and user-friendly as possible.”

29. Who here will read the European Ombudsman’s Annual Report from now on?

30. Hopefully many more than before!

31. Thank you.