Officials need smoother press interactions

By Xuyang Jingjing Source:Global Times Published: 2014-3-12 20:48:02

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The open door session of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region during the legislative meetings gets a lot of attention every year. Dozens of journalists wait for two hours listening to speeches about harmony and progress just for a chance to ask the top leaders questions that they usually don't get to ask otherwise.

Everybody knows the questions that should be asked about Xinjiang: ethnic policies and violence. But the half-hour Q&A session was mostly wasted on a question about economic development to which the officials gave a lengthy, 20-point reply.

As soon as the moderator announced, "one final question," the staff started getting ready. They brought in a long red velvet rope and started to segregate the media area with the exit route of the deputies. Security staff stood by the rope every meter all the way toward the door.

Disappointed that some of the most obvious questions hadn't been asked, reporters were not ready to leave just yet. They got their mikes, voice recorders and cameras ready and waited to dash and grab.

As Zhang Chunxian, Party chief of Xinjiang, started to walk toward the door, reporters crowded in and shouted out questions, while the security staff stood their ground and tried to push reporters back. There was great commotion.

But suddenly the room quieted down as people realized that Zhang had stopped and was answering questions about ethnic policies and terrorism. A scrum was formed, with Zhang in the middle, surrounded by dozens of cameras and voice recorders.

I was in the scrum of four or maybe five layers of people, standing on one foot. I couldn't actually see Zhang but I extended my recorder the furthest I could toward his direction.

There was the sound of camera shutters. A young man with a foreign news agency next to me was trying to lift a huge camera up over his head in order to get a shot of Zhang, but the machine was too heavy. He was biting down his teeth, panting through his nose and his arms were shaking.

It was clear that Zhang wanted to talk to the media. He stopped twice on the way out toward the door and talked for at least 10 minutes. But when one reporter shouted, "Do you think there should be a law on anti-terrorism?" Zhang was rushed out by security though he was starting to say something.

As soon as Zhang was escorted out of the room, security blocked the door to keep reporters from following him. We were blocked inside the room for at least five minutes, till they could be sure that we wouldn't catch up with Zhang. Some reporters started protesting, although half in jest, "Why are you keeping us here? Let us out!"

At least some of the officials wanted to address the tough questions. But why does it take all that commotion to get answers, that, while not particularly ground-breaking, contain some useful information? They could have discussed the elephant in the room, instead of beating around the bush. They could have given reporters more time for questions.

It's probably not easy getting sensitive information anywhere in the world, but in China things are particularly difficult for reporters because the authorities are reluctant to answer even the most innocuous questions.

To get an official response, reporters are often directed to call different offices before being asked to send a fax, then you never hear from them again. And if you call them, they say they never got the fax, or that "It's being dealt with."

I participated in a program years ago that trained spokespersons and publicity officials in government agencies. One of the first things the trainers, who used to work as correspondents for some foreign media, told those officials was, "if you don't speak to the press, your side of the story won't be heard." I see that's a lesson the authorities have yet to learn.

If the authorities could be more open to the press all year round instead of playing hide and seek, maybe journalists wouldn't be hunting them down like this every March.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. xuyangjingjing@globaltimes.com.cn

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