MCLC: staged press conferences (2)

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Magnus Fiskesjo <magnus.fiskesjo at cornell.edu>
Subject: staged press conferences (2)
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I believe these press conferences first started in the 1980s. I have a
memory of one of the first such press conferences with government leaders
(I believe it was with Zhao Ziyang). I was working in Beijing then, and
was struck by the intensity of the reaction by local Chinese who
(privately) expressed disgust and anger with the foreign journalists they
saw on TV, because, they explained to me, they felt that the foreign
journalists asked much too timid questions, even though in the Chinese
perspective they had the standing to ask real, tough questions (because
the foreigners would be able to ask questions, and then go home, leave
China). Perhaps in the current climate, everyone is more sophisticated and
--unlike me who has not been following these developments-- knows that
this is all fake and staged and that even the foreign journalists too are
deeply implicated in the staging. It was a surprise to me to learn the
extent of the staging, complete with "fake" foreigners!

Magnus Fiskesjö