What Does a Spokesperson Do?

Press Spokesman (Press Spokesman) A press spokesperson is a full-time (smaller department is part-time) news releaser appointed or designated by the state, political party, or social organization. Its role is to meet with a major event or current event within a certain period of time. The reporter may hold a press conference or press conference to explain the opinions and positions of the department on relevant issues, and answer questions from reporters on behalf of the relevant department. Behind the press spokesperson is a strong working team, who collectively collect materials, analyze information, and understand the situation. In addition, the press spokesperson also needs to maintain communication and cooperation with other relevant departments to ensure the comprehensiveness of the information provided, Accuracy and authority. ^[1]

news spokesman

At 10:00 am on June 30th, at a press conference held by Chinese and foreign journalists held by the Foreign Propaganda Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, 11 spokespersons of the relevant central government departments, dressed in formal clothes, smiling, stepped onto the podium in turn. With the frequent pressing of the camera shutter, they paid tribute to the hundreds of Chinese and foreign journalists who had been waiting here, and then sat on the stage in two rows. Wang Chen, the director of the Foreign Propaganda Office of the CPC Central Committee, used concise opening remarks to introduce the speakers to Chinese and foreign reporters.

11 spokespersons-Wu Yuliang, spokesperson of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Deng Xinhua, spokesperson for the Central Organization Department, Li Wei, spokesperson for the Central Propaganda Department, Zhang Xiansheng, spokesperson for the Central United Front Work Department, Li Jun, spokesperson for the Central Department of External Liaison, Fan Liqing, spokesperson for the Central Taiwan Affairs Office, Guo Weimin, spokesperson for the Central Foreign Affairs Office, Luo Zongyi, spokesperson for the Central Party School, Yan Jianqi, spokesperson for the Central Document Research Office, Zhang Shujun, spokesperson for the Central Party History Research Office, and spokesperson for the Central Archives Guo Zhengping introduced the working functions of their departments and the relevant information about the work of press releases to reporters in turn, and then answered questions raised by reporters.

The Chinese press spokesman system dates back to 1983. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs first appointed a spokesperson.

Seven Year Itch

On the whole, China's government news release system has basically been established. In 2008, China's central and provincial government news conferences alone reached more than 1,700, which is also rare in the world. Compared with the past, the overall level of our press spokespersons has continued to improve, but judging from the changes in China's media, the way to go is obviously still long.

Why is it always controversial

Their words and deeds often make headlines in newspapers, but they are often involved in the whirlpool of public opinion and are widely questioned; they are the disseminators of information, but also filters of information. They are sometimes firefighters, and sometimes they are counterproductive. Occupation requires them to have a high comprehensive quality, but they always make some low-level mistakes. This is the spokesman for China.

Some good people have simply classified Chinese speakers.

Indisputable: Although a spokesperson for a department or business, they often don't know. Neither policy nor condition is clear. Originally, the spokesperson broke through the role of exercise of officials in the past. Through an equal dialogue with reporters, it could have the effect of silent and silent communication. The three words are silent and the mantra is "no comment". In April 2010, the director of the Chongqing Municipal Government's Information Office stated that if the spokesperson said "no comment", he would be held accountable.

Big bag type: Under the Chinese system, the spokesperson knows only a few things, not everything is clear. Some speakers mistakenly believe that what happens is that their task is to stop the guns, shift their eyes, I've done it for others. I've taken responsibility for everything, and I have the dedication of "sacrifice the ego, make the ego great." But in fact, "sacrifice the ego" does not "achieve the great ego", but often loses everything. A discerning and media-literate public can distinguish the personal faults of the spokesperson from the "calibre" of the group they represent.

According to the original version: Prepare the lines in advance, regardless of the occasion, regardless of the subject. For example, not long ago, CCTV was connected to the flood front. When the host asked about the size of the breach and the transfer of the masses, Ping Qijun, deputy director of the Jiangxi Defense General Office, turned a deaf ear and introduced the Deputy Chief Commander of the National Defense, the Minister of Water Resources, the State Important instructions from the General Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Minister of Water Resources, and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Jiangxi Province. In the meantime, the host interrupted twice and asked again and again. Ping Qijun was still thinking about the prepared manuscript in advance, which can be described as constant change.

Self-defense type: For example, the "dioxane" incident of the overlord shampoo that has been violent some time ago, the spokesperson has always emphasized that dioxane is a phenomenon that exists in the entire industry and is not unique to "overlord". In fact, what the public cares about is only what kind of harm it poses to consumers, and they don't care about the "hidden rules" in the industry. This expression of "Bawang" ignores the consideration of consumer rights and interests, and just ignores the relationship. No wonder it will be a wave of ups and downs.

Announcement of good news and no worry: This is the practice of most units. When I encounter good things I need to publicize, I write a lot of books, and when reporters ask about negative news, they are embarrassed, pushing against each other, and frosting, even seeing the media as the enemy, complaining that reporters have a keen sense of smell.

Shame turned into anger: When a reporter asked a CPPCC chairman who was a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) what he thought of the official property disclosure system, the member first said: "Sorry, I haven't studied this issue." He actually asked the reporter: "Why don't you announce the property of the people? Why don't the profits of those business owners be announced to the workers?" Such anger and anger are like "Which unit do you belong to" or "Who are you talking for?" Here.

Emotional dislocation type: Some press spokespersons are upside down. They are not people-centered. At the scene of major casualties, they do not publish the casualties of the people first, but talk about the heroic behavior of rescue workers. Other spokespersons were ecstatic when facing major accidents such as fires and mining disasters. They talked about the situation. The situation has been basically controlled because the leaders attached great importance to measures, and they did not show at least compassion.

In short, more and more press spokespersons have also become news makers when they publish news, and their ridiculous words have also been widely spread.

Tong Bing, a professor at the School of Journalism at Fudan University, believes that it takes courage and wisdom to be a spokesperson in China. The "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Government Information Disclosure" came into effect on May 1, 2008. Many places have established a spokesperson system. However, due to the lack of systematic training and practice, most of the spokespersons are on thin ice. Many local news releases are also just image projects. The list of speakers and phone numbers were announced, but there was no follow-up. Even the spokesperson became a shield for some government officials to refuse media interviews.

Is it harder today?

Some experts believe that in an era where everyone has a microphone, a spokesperson will never know more than a netizen. Faced with netizens who hold wide-angle lenses, magnifying glasses and microscopes, the spokespersons of some departments have instead turned into "informed vulnerable groups" and "informed companies."

Shi Anbin does not think so. "In the political systems of European and American countries, government spokespersons are often allowed to attend decision-making meetings at the highest level, and they have a clear and accurate grasp of relevant information and decision-making processes. They generally have rich media practices. Experience to understand how to communicate effectively with the media and the public. But in our country, a spokesperson is often assigned to a specific official rank or position, and he may not be able to understand comprehensive information. If a spokesperson becomes an 'informed vulnerable group' It seems that 'no more than netizens', mainly due to institutional constraints. "

Tong Bing said, "Although netizens have various channels to collect information, the information held by netizens is different from the first-hand information held by the spokesperson. The government itself is the most authoritative source of information. Inside information, the information on the network needs to be distinguished from true and false, and the information of the spokesperson should be authoritative. From the quality of the information, they are not vulnerable groups. "

Wang Junchao, an associate professor at the School of Journalism and Communication of Tsinghua University, believes that the network does pose a great challenge to the spokespersons, and that Weibo users can achieve everyone for everyone communication by following, forwarding, and targeting each other. "Collaborative communication" in the model to dig or approach the truth. In this case, the speaker will be full of holes if he does not tell the truth.

Some experts believe that the spokesperson represents the interests of a certain country, group, department, or enterprise. Their "head is not entirely on their shoulders." Wang Junchao believes that this is not to say that the spokesperson has no room for self-play. On the contrary, if the spokesperson can make clear before every press conference that the purpose of holding a press conference is not only to "fire", but more importantly to satisfy the public's right to know, then the "caliber" When publishing information, it will seek truth from facts, so that the conference will achieve a more ideal communication effect, which is welcomed by the public. This is actually the greatest protection of the interests of the departments it represents.

Under normal circumstances, the work of the spokespersons is done step by step, and some spokespersons have done a good job, but once they encounter crises and emergencies, everything seems to be back to normal. Shi Anbin believes that a good news spokesman should always adhere to one principle, which is "to be faithful, to say quickly, first." Another important principle is to seek a balance between the interests of the department and the public, and create social consensus, rather than sparking official-people confrontation.

Some speakers believe that it is not up to them to say what they say or not. However, although the spokesperson cannot change the facts, he can do do nt know, do nt speak, do nt know, do nt speak, do nt know, do nt speak arbitrarily, you must say well. People have a lot to do in avoiding confrontation, reducing friction, eliminating misunderstandings, and transmitting sincerity.

Tong Bing believes that the ability to "know what you know and what you don't know" is the simplest and most direct benchmark for testing the sincerity of a spokesperson. Sometimes a good-faith lie is also a lie. At the same time, as a spokesperson, you must first understand who you are publishing. On the surface, it is a reporter. In fact, the reporter is asking questions on behalf of the people. Both the answer and the poor answer, and the news did not have a negative, it happened objectively. It is totally unwise for the spokespersons of some departments to announce the blacklist of any reporter. Don't underestimate the audience's understanding, don't avoid obvious focus and problems, if the general public can see the problems, the spokesperson should be more familiar and understand.

Still a scarce resource

People's Daily has set up a press club. Du Dengbin, the person in charge, told reporters that companies need their own spokespersons more than government spokespersons, because it is easy to unify some government reports, but for companies in crisis, carelessness is full. All lose. Since March 2009, Shuanghui Group has encountered a great crisis due to the problem of lean meat. At this time, it was discovered that such a large company has not had a formal press spokesman for a long time.

According to the National Association of Government Communicators, there are about 40,000 spokespersons at all levels of government in the United States. At the same time, small-scale enterprises will set up full-time spokespersons. Even small businesses with a dozen individuals will have part-time news spokesman. According to Du Dengbin's survey, more than 380 multinational companies have basically established a press spokesman system of 80%, while in China, less than half of more than 100 state-owned enterprises have actually established a corporate spokesman system. For private enterprises, the establishment of a spokesperson system is less than 1/5. In this way, once a crisis event occurs, it is obvious that we can only cope with it temporarily. A social commentary from the Global Times argued that in the case of public criticism involving large state-owned enterprises, the institutions involved failed.

At present, there are basically three sources of spokespersons for government departments in our country: First, leaders in charge. If there is a place that requires a spokesperson, it must be the "second leader" of the department; "Characters"; the third is the person in charge of the propaganda department. The second category is the most important source of spokespersons for government departments at all levels. The selection of the above three categories of personnel is generally in line with China's national conditions and can basically meet the requirements of the spokesperson at this stage. But in the long run, its shortcomings are obvious. Most of these three types of personnel are officials, with little actual work experience in the media. They are often just trained, and after two years of work, they have been promoted and transferred to another post.

Over the years, there has been a lot of training for spokespersons. Often where the training is, a press release system can be established. But they are still a scarce resource in China. It is worth worrying that there are many books and lectures that are spread by the spokesman's coping strategies and evasion techniques. Wang Junchao believes that if there are military regulations for the release, then the biggest one is: truth first The second trick. The social effect of the conference is always subject to one principle: respect for the facts and tell the truth. A press conference that is false and insincere, no matter how grandly packaged, and no matter how instantaneous the effect is, it can only be a cloud.

"Ascend to the heights, the arms are not longer, but the viewers are far away; the wind is blowing, the voices are not increasing, and the hearers are Zhang." Ministry of Public Security spokesman Wu Heping described his profession in an article. Indeed, as a spokesperson, you should be proud of your profession. This is a job that can make information more transparent and let the public know more about the truth.

On August 3, 2009, the Central Government issued the Opinions on Deepening the Publicity of Government Affairs and Strengthening Government Services, emphasizing the timely response to social concerns. If the SARS crisis in 2003 was the starting point for the construction of the Chinese government's news release system, then 2011 should become an important turning point in the construction of the Chinese government's news system. ^[11]

The image of the spokesman is the public image of the party committee. The effect of the spokesman's speech is directly related to the credibility and influence of the party committee. Such a unique responsibility and mission is destined to make the role of the party committee spokesman not good, at least to pass these three barriers.

Language style off

The position is the party committee and the language is its own. If the spokesman cannot translate the party affairs information into his own language, he is destined to be incompetent for this position. This must take into account the wisdom and courage of the spokesperson. A lot of information is policy-oriented, sensitive, and more normative and less vivid. If the transformation is not good, you will face the risk of misrepresentation.

Solve doubts

In this era of transparency, the spokesperson of the party committee will also face public information inquiries and must be sensitive to some hot spots.

Press Spokesperson: Must Have High Media Dealers

Global Times: High IQ, EQ, and media quotient are the basic qualities of officials

With the rise of new media and the diversified development of social public opinion, the government's governing environment has undergone profound changes. The increased transparency of decision-making and the increased awareness of citizens' democratic participation have increased the pressure on government opinion. Therefore, for leading cadres, how to adapt to this new situation and learn to deal with the media, including new media, that is, to improve IQ, EQ and media quotient as soon as possible.
A person's ability literacy is composed of many aspects. In 2009, there was a saying that in addition to the IQ and EQ that we know well, a successful person also needs a certain amount of media quotient. The media dealer here is media literacy. It is a part of the quality of citizens in modern society, and it should also be an important part of the capacity of officials.
Since 2009, the recurring phenomenon of "Thunderman's Mandarin" has reflected the lack of media literacy and ruling ideas of some officials. After the "Thunderman's Words" was widely disseminated by the media, some cadres developed "media phobia", fearing that the evil would come out of their mouths, or "throw their mouths", or "retreat from their homes." This is not so much caution as not self-confidence. This lack of self-confidence is fundamentally caused by the lack of necessary media literacy among officials.
It cannot be denied that due to the unprofessional nature of some media reporters, the speech of the report subject is tailored according to need, and deliberately hyped up inappropriate speech, causing the report subject's speech to escape from a specific context and cause harm to the parties. However, some officials therefore put the blame on the media for their inappropriate speech and incompetence to the media, which is neither objective nor helpful. Language is the shell of thinking, speech is the voice of the heart, and improper speech. In addition to oral errors, it is mainly caused by misunderstanding in understanding, tactics in expression, and immature behavior.
Some officials do not speak to the media because they have misunderstandings about the characteristics and functions of the media. They are accustomed to controlling the media and cannot look down on the media. "Responding" to the views of the media itself is more or less hostile, which reflects the misunderstanding of the media. The media is a communication platform. It has its own value judgments. It can be "drums" or "calls". It likes to say something. In the new media era, the vitality of grassroots media such as Weibo is getting stronger and stronger, which can also generate huge public opinion energy while impacting traditional media. If you do not realize this, it is inevitable that you will not adapt and become accustomed to it, and you will not be harmed by accident.
An official who speaks to the media, understands language dissemination strategies, is familiar with the dissemination process of information, understands the media's demands and dissemination mechanisms, and can speak words that conform to his identity and status. In order to meet the needs of the media and the public, we must also judge, select and say appropriate information; again, we must consider the acceptability of the audience and understand how to speak in scoring situations. If the speech seriously deviates from the public's life perception and feelings, it will naturally not be acceptable to the public, or even be "backed up." A talking leader needs not only the media but also the masses. This way, you have object awareness. Understanding the emotions and thoughts of the masses is a prerequisite for speaking.
After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a new generation of leaders took the lead and demanded a change of style and style of writing. In the face of the media, officials must tell the truth, and even speak. To be honest, you don't talk empty words, talk less, and avoid telling lies; if you can speak, you must be measured, familiar with laws, and grasp language strategies. In short, in the new media era, media dealers will be one of the basic qualities of a successful leader. ^[12]

A spokesman for the People s Republic of China s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for introducing China s policies and positions and answering questions from reporters ^[14]

Most of the first speakers have been muted

After 8 years of persistence, Wang Yongping, a former spokesperson of the first ministerial ministry, resigned sadly and will travel to Poland.

The investigation showed that most of the first Chinese spokespersons in 2003 have now left their posts. Faced with the question of the shortest-lived career, Wang Xuming, the former press spokesman of the Ministry of Education who had left "Crying No Tears," asked, should the press spokesman be thunder?

Difficult to "glorious" retirement positions

With "Miracle", "I believe anyway" and other "famous words", after 8 years of bland career and 25 days of prosperous popularity, the former spokesman of the Ministry of Railways Wang Yongping stepped down.

On the 17th, the official website of the Ministry of Railways was opened. The video of Wang Yongping's interview was still prominent on the website.

As a ministry spokesman who stepped out of the first training course for Chinese spokespersons in 2003, Wang Yongping's eight years in office have not been easy.

Wang Xuming, who had published a criticism of Wang Yongping's performance at the accident conference, did not admit that the profession was "short-lived", but most of the speakers who were mostly 30-45 years old at the time did not "gloriously" retire in this position. .

Comparing the list of spokespersons of various ministries and commissions in 2011 and 2003, the first issue of this group of more than 100 people is now running low. Zhang Qiyue, Kong Quan, and other well-known spokespersons of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have gone to serve as ambassadors abroad. The former Ministry of Education spokesman Wang Xuming, who has been known for his "media ignorance" and "no money to go to school", quietly in 2008 Leave office.

In the Weibo on the 17th, Wang Xuming was still asking: If it says punishment, higher-level leaders should attend the press conference or speak instead of attending or not speaking. Should they be punished? People who do not speak, speak less, or always speak correct nonsense can never take advantage, that is a retrogression of society!

Leader doesn't recognize spokesman is not good

In 2009, during the Geyao incident in the Forbidden City and Guo Meimei's incident, the performance of the spokesperson was always difficult to satisfy the public, and Wang Yongping's "official words" at the accident press conference even made the people criticized.

Analysts said that it is still difficult for Chinese spokespersons to get rid of the background of officials, which is different from foreign professional spokespersons.

Even in 2004, there were media reports that the spokespersons of the ministries and commissions were halfway to dial the phone, and the words "no comment" and "leadership" were busy. This is a long way from the "face to the media at any time" required by the State Office.

Wang Xuming said frankly that the spokesperson is the bridge between the government and the people, and may ultimately serve the leadership. The leadership does not recognize it, and the spokesman is difficult to do.

"You will encounter this situation, for example, if you don't do your job well and you let the spokesperson plug the gun; for example, if the official is unwilling to publish the information to the public, this situation depends on the spokesperson and the mouth, That effect is very limited. "

He also gave examples of the many press conferences in 2009, where he said for a long time that there was no news. Because of the release of the press conference, the decision-making power is not in the spokesperson, but in leadership.

Can the lack of credibility depend on the spokesman?

In the 1980s, China established a spokesperson system. Following the implementation of the press spokesman system of the ministries and commissions in 2003, the government press spokesman system in 2011 is being promoted to provincial, municipal, and county-level administrative agencies.

However, some comments pointed out that the process of opening up public opinion in China has progressed much faster than the speaker system. The information that the spokesperson can provide always fails to keep up with the demands of public opinion. The "official voice" of the spokesperson is also the most likely to lead to opposition to public opinion. Sometimes the spokesperson's statement not only does not help crisis public relations, but fuels the fire.

Wu Xinming, a professor at the School of Literature and Journalism at Ocean University of China, believes that the reason why the spokesperson is repeatedly accused by the public is not a simple personal reason, but a lack of official credibility. "If there is a problem with government work, the effectiveness of the spokesperson will be greatly reduced." More importantly, if the current spokesman evaluation mechanism can not be changed from the superior, not the public, the performance of the spokesperson will be difficult Make people happy.

Regarding Wang Yongping's departure, Wang Xuming paid more attention to the rights and interests of this profession. "I would like to ask what is the role and authority of the spokesperson. Should the spokesman be thundered? How?" He said that if the preparation is not enough, the spokesman will face the public and the responsibility afterwards will be Did the press come here to be punished?

What Does a Spokesperson Do?

news spokesman

IN OTHER LANGUAGES

RELATED ARTICLES

How can we help?