Unwritten rules at a government press conference? Say it ain't so

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A reporter tries to peek behind the curtain

At Sunday's press conference ahead of the opening of the CPPCC session, a reporter with MASTV asked the spokesman Wu Jianmin whether there were "unwritten rules" governing the press conference, rules that gave mainstream state media organizations the ability to control the tone of the proceedings.

Wu responded that all reporters are treated equally.

Liao Weihua, a reporter from the Chengdu Business News who did not get the opportunity to ask a question at the press conference, nevertheless agreed with the spokesperson's explanation. Liao notes that it's entirely normal for the big state media organizations to be given special consideration at such functions, and this is something that all journalists are aware of. Here's his assessment of the way the slots were handed out:

At yesterday's press conference, twelve reporters had the opportunity to ask questions. These reporters were from Xinhua, China News, CNN, MASTV, China Daily, People's Daily Overseas Edition, China County Times, CCTV, Ta Kung Pao, Chongqing CPPCC Report, Beijing Youth Daily, and China Radio International. We can see from this list that apart from Xinhua, CCTV, CRI, and China Daily, which belong to the "mainstream media" that the Macao reporter mentioned, the other eight organizations were chosen at the scene. After the conference, the reporter from China County Times told me that she had raised her hand a number of times before she was finally called on, and at that time her original questions, about the snow-related catastrophe in the south and the appointment of non-party members to official positions, had already been asked, so she hastily threw together a question about economic development in northern Guangxi. But according to her experience, "there'll be opportunities to ask questions, but it depends on luck and your own persistence."

China County Times (中国县域经济报) is published by the Economic Daily, a national paper under the joint supervision of the State Council and the party's Publicity Department, and was that paper's rural edition until January 2007.

One could quibble with Liao's short list of just four agencies that receive special attention—media blogger aside had a slightly different impression of the proceedings:

Unwritten Rules

This afternoon at the Great Hall of the People, was the first press conference of the First Session of the 11th National Committee of the CPPCC.

Around 5:00pm. The fourth question, from a reporter with MASTV: This year's Two Sessions are the most open they've ever been to the media. My question is, with the way that you call on questioners, are there unwritten rules governing which media organizations you call on in any given situation? Is it a case where a minority of mainstream media organizations gets to call the shots?

Spokesman Wu Jianmin: I don't know what you mean by "unwritten rules." From the perspective of the press center, there are indeed rules for conducting a press conference, and under these rules all reporters are equal. The Session's press center will provide as much information as possible to each reporter.

About fifty minutes later, the last opportunity to ask a question. Before she asked her question, the woman who was called on said emotionally: for me to be picked is full proof that the press conference has no unwritten rules. I've been raising my hand the last ten times!

The spokesman asked her which media organization she belonged to.

She said, People's Daily, Overseas Edition.

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