Getting media-shy officials attending China's annual national political meetings to speak to reporters is like pulling teeth. But one reporter from the official Xinhua agency is so good at it, she has become a celebrity of sorts.
Her trick is simple: Accost the officials as soon as they emerge from the meetings, coax them to talk, and even clutch their arms so they cannot get away, Chinese reports said.
She has successfully "waylaid" almost 10 officials, including several Cabinet ministers. Being pretty helps too, the Global Times said on Saturday in describing the reporter, who has asked that her name not be published.
Reporters from other media organisations did not seem to resent her tactics, as everyone has benefited. Said a reporter to the Southern Metropolis Daily last Thursday: "She did help us a lot, because many senior officials were too busy to talk with reporters. Her behaviour deeply moved the officials and convinced them to talk to the media."
Journalists covering the meetings of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference have used tactics ranging from passing written notes to the meeting host, to wearing eye-catching clothes, or even snatching the microphone away from nearby reporters, in attempts to get the attention of officials, according to a report by People's Daily.
- Sitiemilia , Singapore.
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