Taking up of the "planted questions" first!

People need change. The society too needs a change. So wish the men involved in the profession of journalism. The change is every where in practically every sector. In the process, men are changing their habits as well. The profession of journalism is no exception to these changes. With the change seen in journalism, the men in the political sector with whom the media men interact more often than not too have changed a lot.

When I began practicing journalism in the late 1960s, we in the media sector used to pose relevant questions but in a mild fashion at time of the press conference. Later, the new entrants who were in their teens began asking fiery and aggressive questions. Some even wished to grill the organizers at time of the press meet. However, it was also marked that the person who used to grill the organizer(s) most was accorded high priority at time of the cocktails that usually followed after the conference. Some even talked that the organizers treated the firebrand journalist with "hefty envelopes". This was the beginning of "envelope journalism" which I'm told continue even today. Who were the men enjoying such special sort of treatment at least I don't have much idea. However, my friends tell me that this practice has become all pervasive in Kathmandu.

Later, we could notice the advent of "planted" questions at the press conference. These were the questions either to shield the wrondoer or even to upgrade the corrupt personality by asking questions that went all in favor of the wrondoer. Understandably, the "weight" of the envelope must have gone up in such very special cases.

Questions are planted by weal ones. The weaker ones could be a simple bureaucrat, minister, Prime Minister or even a project manager. The government(s) too plant questions at times, we are told. The government plants questions when it wishes to get extra benefits from a party or wishes to draw the attention of a third party on a topic that is of immense importance to its functioning. Some times the governments plant questions in order to win over the hearts of a visiting political dignitary from a very powerful country. This means that each and every government has in its possession a set of special media men who are "used" to ask the "planted questions" to the visiting dignitaries.

Even America is no exception to the menace of "planted" questions. One story runs as follows: " The Johnson White House frequently planted questions. The first occasion came early in the administration, at the suggestion of press secretary Bill Moyers. Johnson was so pleased with the result that, fifteen minutes before the next news conference, he handed an aide a list of ten questions to be planted (the aide didn't succeed). The practice grew so obvious that Moyers opened one briefing by saying, "I'll take the planted questions first"'.

Yet another story runs like this: "Franklin Roosevelt's aides sometimes took reporters aside to suggest questions that would get particularly good answers. Although Roosevelt once grumbled that some questions were "planted" by anti-administration publishers, he never complained about his staff's plants".

(Text courtesy: If no news, send rumors, by Stephan Bates).

I didn't know that Deuba administration too is used to this "undeclared" rule of planting questions. This I could notice at time of the freshly concluded visit of US Secretary of State, Colin Powell. The press conference with Secretary of State Powell was organized at the premises of Deuba's official residence in Baluatar. The press conference ended. Interested media men like me raised their hands to pose questions to Colin Powell. However, to every body's utter surprise, Colin Powell could answer only three or four supposedly "planted questions"(?) from the Nepali side.

Nevertheless, the men who posed questions to Powell were competent authorities in Nepalese journalism.

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