Adversarial And Evasive

This study analyses the adversarial questions and evasive answers inthree premier’s press conferences with conversation analysis and quantityanalysis. Being a strategic expression way in press conferences, adversarialquestions and evasive answers reflect the aim of both jornalists andpremiers in a stressful context.The study shows that even the press censorship has been imposed inpremier’s press conference strictly, adversarial questions can still be raised.Meanwhile, there is no positive corraltion between the adversarialness ofquestioning and evasive answers. The multiple factors, including theopenness of questioning, the aspects of questionings, as well as the aim ofpremier in press conferences, make interactive effect on the answers type.Journalists resorted to using prefaces and interrogatives as theircardinal strategies when they posing adversarial questions under pressure.This analysis also reveals the largest number of adversarial questionsappear in Zhu Rongji’s premier’s press conference, while Li Keqiang’spremier’s press conference displays a higher level of adversarialness thanother two. Likewise, different structural designs and techniques areemployed by premiers to moderate mitigate the detriment effects ofevasive answers.