Direct answers

Along with Mao, many official spokespeople have become more confident and skilled in dealing with the media. Shen Danyang, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, told the forum that spokespeople should give reporters direct answers, rather than simply repeating cliches.

"Some reporters have told me that they would rather get substantive facts from official spokespeople than be treated to lavish banquets or gifts," said Shen.

He added that the public forms its own judgment, and if a spokesperson makes a meaningless statement praising the government's work, the people will say "no".

Shen cited a recent news briefing as an example. After a fire at a factory caused huge economic damage, but thankfully no loss of life, a local government spokesman was criticized for providing too little information about the cause of the blaze while delivering fulsome praise for the medical authorities and emphasizing how hard they had worked to treat the injured.

"It's not professional to praise government officials at a news briefing, because what the public cares about most are the casualties, the cause of the accident, and the people responsible," he said.

Shen said he prefers to provide solid facts, such as statistics, rather than make bland statements in response to reporters' questions. At a recent news briefing Shen was questioned about whether China is still attractive to foreign investors after international brands such as Starbucks were criticized on China Central Television for a number of perceived faults, including high prices.

"I gave reporters the data about FDI (foreign direct investment), which continued to rise from February to October. I believe that data like this will convince the public that China remains a booming market for international investors," he recalled.

Shen said that when he attended a number of training courses overseas he was unable to agree with the methods proposed by the teachers, who taught the assembled spokespeople a number of ways to dodge questions from journalists.

Guidelines released by the State Council on Oct 1 specify that spokespeople should not repeat empty phrases, but instead should give the public the plain facts. The paper also emphasized that the spokespeople for ministries related to the macroeconomy and people's livelihoods should attend news conferences held by the State Council Information Office at least once every three months.

In the wake of industrial accidents or natural disasters, some government officials have been accused of being unwilling to face reporters, either because they are afraid of making a mistake or are unable to deal with journalists, according to Guo Weimin, director-general of the press bureau of the State Council Information Office.

The current level of development of the spokesman system still lags behind public demand. As China integrates with the outside world, the international community will need more information and that will result in a heavier burden on spokespeople, he said.

Liu Xiaoying, a professor of media research at the Communication University of China, said most officials deem it risky to be outspoken, and as a result, few spokespeople like to face the media.

"Most government officials still believe that 'careless talk costs lives', so to speak. Keeping silent is negative, but at least it's safer than talking and getting the facts wrong," said Liu, who was once invited to train official spokespeople by the State Council Information Office. He added that the government should improve the evaluation mechanism to encourage officials to face the media and reduce the pressures on spokespeople.