Note: The following editorial  first appeared in Chinese in the March 19, 2009 edition of Southern Weekly.  The English translation is provided here as well as a podcast transcript.

注意：下面的评论先在2009年3月19日的《南方周末》刊登，在这里提供英文翻译以及播客(podcast)的文字录音。

  请点击下面的按钮收听音频——  

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

---

China’s political leaders are notorious for being inaccessible to journalists.  The only time of year they are available to western reporters is during the “two sessions” which  just recently ended.  However, this once a year access is rather dubious.  Journalists are asked to submit questions ahead of time and answers are prepared only for those topics the officials want to address.

 

If this is true for foreign reporters, it is even more true and more frustrating for Chinese reporters.  Until just a few years ago, the climate in Chinese media was such that no one could object to these scripted performances, which happen all the time.  Today you’ll hear about two reports that point out the farce of Chinese political press conferences.  However, today’s editorial goes a step further than pointing this out.  It calls for action against these charades.  

 

Welcome to 洋人看中国, Southern Weekly’s editorial podcast, where you hear Chinese voices on Chinese issues, without the propaganda.  This week’s editorial is titled, “What if press conferences could be performed like monologues?” and it was written by Guo Guangdong.  

【方舟评论一】记者会岂能唱成独角戏

□本报评论员 郭光东

[Notes from the Arc 1] What if press conferences could be performed like monologues?

By Guo Guangdong

 

     刚刚过去的全国“两会”上，记者披露了两起记者会穿帮事件。 

     Some reporters have recently exposed news about two fabricated press conferences during the “two sessions.”

 

  《财经》记者报道，在3月6日四川代表团新闻发布会的记者自由提问环节，无论与会记者如何努力举手，主持人都只点桌前放有标牌的“官方主流媒体”记者提问，而且这些被点到的记者只是拿起桌上打印好的纸条照着念，然后省领导再低头念手里的文件，一切提问与回答都在“计划内”。

       Caijing magazine reported that during a March 6 press conference journalists were given time to freely ask questions of the delegation from Sichuan.  But no matter how vigorously reporters raised their hands, the moderator only fielded questions from the “mainstream government media” which were all located in front with signs.  Furthermore, the reporters who were chosen simply read questions from printouts already on their desks.  After that, the provincial leaders lowered their eyes to read from a prepared script in their hands.  All the questions and answers had been prearranged.

 

  《新快报》记者披露，在3月7日云南代表团开放日的记者提问环节前，工作人员给相熟的记者一份列有问题的采访提纲，并提醒记者按问题序号提问，40分钟的记者会里，所提问题无一涉及云南最受关注的“躲猫猫”事件，只是涉及东盟合作、教育改革、生态环境等宣传本省的事项，且回答者准备充分，甚至埋头念稿，一问一答“内定”痕迹明显。

       A reporter from New Express  revealed that employees gave a copy of  a list of interview questions to reporters whom they were familiar with before the open question portion of the press conference with the Yunnan delegation on March 7.  They also reminded reporters to ask the questions in the order they were given.  During the 40 minute press conference, there was not one question regarding the “elude the cat” case, which was the most pressing issue for Yunnan at the moment.  The questions merely touched on topics such as cooperation with ASEAN, education reform, and the environment, and those who answered were all well prepared.  They even buried their faces in their notes as they read, making it very clear that each question and answer had been scripted.

 

    除此之外，很多网友更从“两会”的其他新闻发布会上体会记者提问的水分。以3月8日的四川灾后重建新闻发布会为例，网友发现，境内外记者的提问水准高下悬殊，境外记者的问题大都是民众关心的，而中国大陆记者的提问往往没盐没醋，无新闻性，甚至这些问题从公开的官方文件中都能找到标准答案，非但疑似奉旨提问，还涉嫌故意挤占其他记者时间。

       Aside from these examples, there were also many people on the Internet who knew the fictions included by reporters in other press conferences during the two sessions.  For example, one person online saw during the March 8 press conference on the Sichuan rebuilding efforts that the questions of foreign reporters based in China were far and away the best.  Other foreign journalists asked questions of public concern but the questions from mainland Chinese reporters were often dull and insipid.  They were not newsworthy and some questions could even be answered just by looking at government documents that had already been released.  Not only did this look suspiciously like planted questions from the government, but it smacked of an intentional ploy to occupy the time of other reporters.

 

  更有甚者，有人竟猜测，是不是很多记者会的提问都是事先审核批准的，不批准的不能问？是不是官员和记者都事先商量好，然后再演给公众看？是不是自问自答大约成了记者会的潜规则？

       What’s more, there are people who have actually speculated that most of the questions in most press conferences are vetted. Could it be that unapproved questions are not allowed?  Could it be that officials and reporters discuss these things ahead of time and after that “perform” their answers for the public?  Has this kind of question and answer become an unwritten rule for press conferences?

 

  呜呼！果真如此，这种被愚弄感将让人何等地悲凉。原以为政府信息公开，未曾想却当了看戏的观众。仿佛一切都如许茹芸在《独角戏》里哀怨地唱着：

       Alas, if this is the truth, then people will be quite depressed when they learn they have been made the fool.  What you once thought was the government publicly disclosing information is actually a play acted out for an audience.  It’s all quite a bit like [Taiwan pop-star] Valen Hsu’s wistful singing in her song “Monologue:”

 

  是谁导演这场戏              Who is directing this show

  在这孤单角色里              For this lonely role?

  对白总是自言自语            Dialogue is always thinking to myself,

  对手都是回忆                  Opponents are all a memory.

  看不出什么结局              What comes at the end is out of sight.

  自始至终全是你              From start to finish it’s all you

  让我投入太彻底              Making me invest myself too completely.

  故事如果注定悲剧           If the story is doomed to be a tragedy

  何苦给我美丽                  Why bother to give me beauty?

 

  是啊，何苦给我美丽？媒体乃政府与民众沟通的桥梁，记者在新闻发布会上提问就是代表公众发问，如果政府不愿正心诚意与民众交流，那就无需装模作样，弄个记者会的亮丽民主外壳而自问自答，完全可以像以往那样下发新闻通稿让媒体照登即是。徒有外表而无实质，不仅有违公务员的职业道德，更背离了最基本的人伦道德——诚实。

       Yes, why bother giving me any beauty?   Media are the bridge of communication between the people and the government.  Reporters who ask questions at a press conference represent the people when they do so.  If the government is not willing to honestly dialogue with the public, then there is no need to pretend. Putting a democratic gloss on press conferences when they are just scripted question and answer sessions is no different than how things were done in the past, when the media had to print press releases without any alteration.  These events look like the real thing but they are meaningless.  Not only does this violate the moral code of civil servants, even more so it deviates from the most basic of interpersonal ethics: honesty.

 

  的确，在中国，记者招待会、新闻发布会还是近几年才流行开的信息发布形式，很多官员不适应甚至惧怕与媒体打交道也在情理之中。官员的媒体素质，很多还停留在“善管”媒体的阶段，尚不知如何“善用”媒体，更谈不上“善待”媒体。但是，舆论的开放，社会的进步，终究要求官员习得公关技巧。而在此之前，更重要的是，官员必须清醒地意识到，在记者会上不慎说错话，民众可以谅解，但是弄虚作假开记者会却可能是一个丑闻，人民有权问责。

       Press conferences in China have only recently become a popular way to disseminate information.  So it’s not unreasonable to note that many officials are not used to it and are even afraid of communicating with the media.  For many officials, their media savvy stops with the directive to “control well” but they still don’t know how to “use well.”  Don’t even bother talking about treating the media well.  However, with the opening up of public opinion and social progress, officials will eventually have to have better public relations skills.  But before this happens it is imperative that they clearly understand that making a mistake in a press conference is something that people can forgive, but conducting fabricated press conferences is tantamount to a scandal.  The people have the right to  this kind of accountability.  

 

  一定意义上，假记者会类似于假唱。对于假唱，管理部门都在打击，观众都在声讨，但是，对于比假唱性质更恶劣的假记者会，尚未闻有惩戒的先例，甚至声讨的声音也罕见。我们不能再见怪不怪下去，假记者会的在场记者、新闻界和全国民众，都应该联合起来，行动起来。这其中，最直接的力量还是假记者会的在场记者。假如你无缘“内定”记者，记者会去了白去，那不妨把它公之于众，让这台戏穿帮。假如你有缘“内定”记者，但愿你摸摸自己的良心，别甘当托儿，不妨干脆这样提问：

       In a certain sense, fake press conferences are like lip synching.  The government is trying to fight against it and audiences all denounce it.  But even though fake press conferences are more vile than lip synching, there has yet to be any disciplinary action.  The voice of condemnation is rarely heard.  We cannot just calmly continue to let this pass.  All citizens, the news media and journalists who attend fake press conferences should join and take action together.  Among these, the ones with the most power are the journalists who attend these events.  If you are not afforded the opportunity to be an “inside” reporter during scripted press conferences, then attending them is a waste of time.  There is no harm in making this public and showing this farce for what it is.  If you are a journalist who participates in these performances, then I urge you to search your conscience.  Don’t be a pawn in this game.  It can’t hurt just to start off with:

 

    “请问省长，您吃了吗？”

       “So, Governor, can I ask how you’re doing?” 

 

 

 

   Thank you for listening to Southern Weekly’s editorial podcast.  If you would like to read a transcript of today’s podcast please visit tim.z.infzm.com.  The Chinese version of Southern Weekly can be found at www.infzm.com.