How to respond to journalists’ questions? A new perspective on Chinese premiers’ aggressiveness at press conferences (1993–2015)

Abstract

This study extends the framework describing journalists’ aggressiveness at politicians’ press conference and develops five dimensions to measure politicians’ aggressiveness in response to journalists’ questions (initiative, directness, assertiveness, adversarialness, and accountability). Using the records from Chinese premiers’ press conferences (1993–2015), this research investigates five factors which might affect premiers’ aggressiveness: the administrative life cycle, economic conditions, journalists’ country of origin, the topic of questions, and number of questions. The results show that premiers exhibit less assertiveness during honeymoon periods and more assertiveness in other years. Premiers are more adversarial amid good economic growth but less adversarial during poor economic growth. They are more assertive and adversarial in response to questions related to politics and the military and less so in response to questions related to other areas. Premiers display more initiative and accountability toward journalists who ask more questions and less toward those who ask fewer questions. Premiers are more assertive and adversarial toward journalists from developed countries but less so toward those from developing countries. Over the past 23 years, premiers’ initiative, directness, and adversarialness have decreased while their accountability has gradually increased. The theoretical contributions of this research are discussed.