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Published on October 25, 2007

That's what pundits have been telling us in the political circles. But with the upcoming election, it has dawned on me that some stupid answers can be prevented by avoiding certain not-so-clever questions, especially if posed by reporters to politicians.

They don't say it out loud, but election candidates often complain to their aides that they should work harder to make sure that newsmen ask the kind of questions that fit their prepared answers - which, of course, don't usually interest the electorate.

Reporters, especially those on the political beat, assume, usually mistakenly, that the voters want them to field a set of "probing" questions to candidates. In fact, many of these challenging questions are no more than worn-out phrases that only elicit lies and misleading responses.

It won't be easy either to suggest that TV news programme hosts drop the kind of uniform questions that have stemmed from the entrenched "herd instinct". It's also unlikely we'll see much in the way of individuals' search for professional excellence.

But if there was such a thing as a "news consumers' protection movement", there should be a declaration to ask the press not to pose stupid or dud questions to politicians - particularly in the upcoming election campaign.

These dumb questions posed in interviews with candidates seeking votes in the upcoming election only encourage answers that are either half-truths, double-talk or outright lies.

One of the most popular and meaningless, questions is: "How many seats do you think your party will win this time?"

The public never gets a truthful "I wish I knew" answer, of course.

When a reporter poses that question to a party leader or a leading candidate, what answer does he expect to get? He knows that whatever number a candidate comes up with is only aimed at impressing the voters and the press. It's never considered useful information for a voter in determining whether to cast his ballot for the party in question or not.

The other dud question that comes up in every press conference called by a political party to launch its campaign is: "What other parties would your party join up with to form the next coalition government?"

It's the kind of query that a party leader enjoys responding to because the question assumes that this party is in a position to decide who to talk to form the next government.

The fact, however, is much less encouraging. The real question the party leader is asking himself might be: "Would anyone want us in the first place?" That, of course, would never make it into print.

What reporters get in response from that question contains a lot of hot air that doesn't bear any semblance to reality. The usual nonsense you get is along the lines of: "That, of course, would depend on whether the policies of other parties conform with ours in promoting the welfare of the people…."

That, on the surface, sounds impressive until the voter tries in vain to find out what "policies" the candidate is talking about.

A new hip question has arisen with this election campaign: Whose nominee are you in this post-coup election game?

But reporters could fall prey to the gimmick and may wrongly think it's fashionable to pose the question to a prominent candidate: "Are you somebody's nominee?"

Whatever the answer, the electorate won't be any the wiser and the newsman who succumbs to the temptation to appear "clever" may end up being seen as a clown or naive victim.

The politician's only possible response is, of course, a denial with a smile. He can't admit it, although he wants everybody to know that he is, in fact, lying. Being seen as a proxy, believe it or not, might boost his chance of getting elected.

Of course, right at the top of the list of banned questions for politicians posed by any professional journalist covering this election campaign is: "Are you telling the truth?"

That, to me, is a very unethical question for a reporter to ask a candidate because it's an open, irresistible invitation for the politician to lie with impunity.

Suthichai Yoon

The Nation