Stalking and being stalked 被跟蹤狂跟和當跟蹤狂跟人

As a TV reporter and sometimes-anchor, I get a stalker here and there once in a while. But as a reporter, I also become the stalker sometimes too. This time, my target was the Minister of Health, Yaung Chih-liang. He announced his resignation Monday and did not answer questions the media had. So Tuesday morning, I (along with reporters from all the other TV stations) was sent to “welcome” him to work at the Department of Health at 6h30 on Tuesday morning. He slips in the back door, has a private meeting and interview with the print media and slipped out again. TV cameras only caught glimpses of him, but no soundbites. It was cat and mouse all day at the DOH. Very tiring. Very boring. Very annoying. We all went back empty handed.

So the next day (on my day off which I cancelled), I was sent to “say good morning” to him outside his apartment, also at 6h30, also along with my colleagues from other TV stations. The big temperature display on the building across the stree above the billboard read “8C.” Someone spotted him around 7h15, walking in one of the nearby alleys. We all sprinted over and chase him down. “I have nothing to say, I have nothing to say,” he said. After a few back-and-forth’s, we let him go. Well, at least we spotted him and got a “I have nothing to say.” Lousy, but better than nothing.

About 30 minutes later, he reappeared, this time out of nowhere and he walked right in front of line of cameras pointed at his front door. He said, “Are you guys ready? Are you ready? I’m going to talk.” What a relief! We can finally get out of the cold and go back to the office with a story! Or so I thought.

“To the owners of the TV stations: you send these ladies and gentlemen out here before it’s even light out, in the less than 10 degree temperature, with no place to even sit, to try to get a boring old man to talk. Don’t do this. No wonder none of them are getting married and having children,” he more or less said.

Then he turned right around and walked inside, leaving all of us with our mouths open, speechless and shocked.

It was a slap in the face for the management at TV stations. He was so right. Fantastic thing he said, but no good for our story on his resignation, so we still couldn’t leave.

The third time he appeared, he didn’t come out of his front door - he came out of the underground car park. Someone spotted him, shouted, and we all ran and chased him down again. This time he said what he told the print media yesterday, and he got in a car and left completely. So we finally left.

But it was far from over. Until he faces us and answers questions, we’re just going to keep getting sent to stalk him - from his home to his office and to wherever he goes. I hate it. It’s part of the job, but I really hate it.

So I was expecting to get sent out there at 6h30 again the next morning.

Thank god he held a press conference in the afternoon to say that he will still report to the President on 17 March and that he will decide what to do after that.

At least we know he’ll be around ‘til the 17th, and that he might change his mind about quitting.

Being stalked and stalking someone - I don’t know which I hate more. This job is less glamorous than it seems. But I wore a long, shiny beige coat with a big, full, fur collar that morning. At least I do the dirty work in style.



身為記者，有時候也是主播
偶而會有一些跟蹤狂跟蹤

但這次，我變成那跟蹤人的跟蹤狂
我的目標：衛生署長楊志良

禮拜一他宣佈辭職但沒多說
所以禮拜二早上六點半
我被派到衛生署門口
“歡迎署長上班”

結果他悄悄從後門溜進去
跟平面媒體開便當會
然後悄悄溜出去
整天玩捉迷藏
最後電視媒體畫面和訪問
甚麼都沒有

所以禮拜三我自動銷假來上班
又是六點半被派到信義官舍門口等
對面大樓看板上方的溫度表寫著“8C”
好。。。冷。。。

七點多，有人看到他在旁邊巷子
大家就追追追
但他一直說
“我沒什麼好說的， 我沒什麼好說的”
最後就放他走
他繼續去運動
我們就繼續等

第二次他出現
沒想到他是自動走到所有攝影機前面
”你們準備好了嗎？好了嗎？我要講了喔“
我想說，太～棒了，終於可以交差了
結果他大概這麼說:
”各位電視台的老闆們，
你們叫這些記者大哥大姊
在天還沒亮的時候
溫度不到十度
連個座位都沒有
來這裡等一個無聊的老頭
不用這樣吧
難怪他們都不結婚生小孩“
講完調頭就走

所有記者傻眼
嘴巴開開的
不知道要說甚麼

他說的完全沒錯
但沒講辭職的事
而且還打我們老闆的嘴巴
所以還是得繼續等


第三次出現是從地下車道溜出來
有人看到就大叫
所有記者用跑百米的速度衝上去
他重複說了昨天對平面講的
然後就走了
雖然訪問不好
但是沒魚蝦也好
他走了，我們也能回家（公司）了

因為沒講甚麼
沒正面回答我們的問題
我已經有心裡準備隔天一大早又要去他守了
守和堵到他講為止
很討厭這樣

好佳在他下午開記者會說明

被跟蹤狂跟和當跟蹤狂去跟人
我真的無法決定哪一樣比較痛苦

這工作沒那麼的光鮮亮麗
不過至少我一早去堵人的時候
是穿著一件閃閃發亮
領子有一塊好漂亮的皮草的大衣
雖然做dirty work
但至少還是能很時尚