Veteran Entertainment Reporter Concerned about Deterioration of Questioners at Johnny’s Press Conference
Entertainment reporter Toshio Ishikawa's "Behind the Scenes" of the entertainment industry: ......
Toshio Ishikawa, Entertainment Reporter, “Behind the Scenes” of the entertainment industry: ……
The sexual assault case involving minors brought by the founder of Johnny’s, Mr. Kitagawa, has been exposed in the light of day. On September 7, the office held a press conference with “unlimited time.
The press conference, which began with “one question per person” by having reporters who wanted to ask questions raise their hands, lasted more than four hours. After about three hours of continuous hand-raising, the moderator asked for a nomination.
To Mr. Noriyuki Higashiyama, the new president with the right to represent the company.
“How did you feel when you learned of Mr. Janney’s sexual preferences, and how did you feel about him afterwards?
He said, “I was very surprised to hear that he was so interested in Mr. Janney,
He replied, “I felt that everything that was truly fundamental to me was gone. I had never been so disappointed in my life. Even more so, I had covered it up. I really thought about the meaning of life and all that.”
I answered. I had a good impression of Mr. Higashiyama as he spoke slowly and thoughtfully.
He said that he would retire from talent activities in his role as president. This must have given rise to a strong feeling that neither apologies nor compensation can be made on a one-sided basis. He could have had a regular TV show and not dared to be the president.
For me, the press conference was more than four hours long,
“Please ask me anything you want.
I felt that Johnny’s was very sincere in their response, “Please ask us anything.
Higashiyama vowed, “From now on, I will put my life on the line to tackle this problem.
Mr. Higashiyama vowed, “From now on, I will put my life on the line to tackle this issue. Keiko Fujishima Julie said, “I will step down as a director, but I will be compensated,
I will step down as director, but I will remain as a board member until the compensation issue is resolved. I will resign when everything is resolved.
She said. She also said,
There was an atmosphere in the company where I could not consult with anyone.
The sincerity of the three men must have been conveyed to the viewers, including Yoshihiko Inohara, who replied, “There was an atmosphere in the company where I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. However, the unprecedented incident involving hundreds of boys will not end so easily.
The press conference was a “big one,” with about 50 TV cameras and 60 still photographers. I was concerned about the poor handiwork of the facilitator, who was appointing reporters to ask questions.
The third person from the front in the right-hand row, the one in the white shirt, was asked a question.
The fourth person in the middle row wearing a mask.
The fourth person in the middle row with a mask,” and so on.
There is a big difference between a press conference and an interview. And there is a restriction of “one question per person.
Even so, some reporters do not adhere to this rule. And after the previous reporter asks a question, the next reporter does not ask a related question.
As a result, the same questions are asked in a roundabout way. The press conference should be about the important things.
“Ask in the shortest possible time and get what they have to say.”
This is the main theme of the conference. Unfortunately, the journalists did not play in tandem.
At a celebrity press conference, reporters lined up in front of the press conference to ask short questions to get the relevant questions out of them. After that, the reporters would ask the questions in more depth.
This is easier for TV viewers to understand. And, to top it off, all the commercial broadcasters, including NHK, were broadcasting live.
I can only assume that the number of press conferences has decreased recently, which has led to an increase in reporters who have become unskilled. I don’t mean to sound like a pompous person, but they are like amateurs.
One thing that bothered me at this press conference was a female newspaper reporter who appeared to be doing her best in the midst of being called out to stop asking questions. A junior reporter I know said
She said, “It’s the famous Ms. 00, the one who was in the drama.
She told me her name and what kind of person she was, but I dare not write about it. I was ignorant and did not know him at all.
At the press conference, I was asked about the sexual harassment that Mr. Higashiyama had committed against Jr. Some reports said that he spoke one-sidedly for “more than four minutes,” but this was not a question at all, but his “opinion.
He brought up the contents of a book written by a former Jr. and pressed Higashiyama-san about his past allegations of sexual harassment. But I wondered if he had done his own research on the subject.
Anyway, I don’t know if it was because it was a live broadcast or what, but it seemed like all he was thinking about was “making himself stand out. I wonder if this reporter is trusted by readers and viewers.
Interview and text: Toshio Ishikawa (Entertainment Reporter)
Born in Tokyo in 1946. He has a unique career path from Shochiku's Advertising Department to a reporter for women's magazines to an entertainment reporter. He has appeared on "The Wide" and "Information Live Miyaneya" (both on Nippon Television Network Corporation), and currently appears regularly on "Mentai Wide" (Fukuoka Broadcasting System), "Su Matan" (Yomiuri TV), and Rainbow Town FM.
PHOTO: Kazuhiko Nakamura