Practicing Journalism in Challenging Political Environment of Press Conferences: A Qualitative Study of Political News Reporters

Abstract

In a democratic system, it is the core responsibility of the media to make politicians answerable for their actions and statements. A press conference is a time when journalists have the opportunity to hold politicians accountable. This is a task often seen as a core democratic function of journalism. However, it is essential to note what kind of cooperation reporters get from politicians during press conferences. This paper examines how politicians and their representatives treat political news reporters during press conferences in Pakistan. Researchers used a qualitative approach by conducting in-depth interviews with political beat reporters. A total of 10 reporters covering political beats from mainstream television networks of the Lahore district participated in the study. Results showed that reporters face different challenges in press conferences. Politicians use other evasive techniques to avoid questions if they consider them unfavorable. Reporters revealed that sometimes they have to ask planted questions at the request of politicians. However, reporters must learn how to deal with these challenges because they believe politicians will only cooperate with them if they do. The prospect is that journalists must work on their ability to ask challenging questions that politicians cannot escape. This study suggested that politicians must cooperate with reporters in press conferences because it is their constitutional right to know what they are doing as representatives of the common populace.