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A mediascrum is an improvisedpress conference, often held immediately outside an event such as a legislative session or meeting.[1][2] Scrums play a central role inCanadian politics[3] and also occur in theUnited Kingdom, theUnited States,Australia andNew Zealand. In New Zealand, such informal press events are also called media stand-ups or gaggles.
Ascrum inrugby is a procedure to restart the game. From the outside, it may seem to involve players from both teams clustering tightly around the ball competing for possession. Analogously, in a media scrum reporters cluster around a public figure competing for his or her attention.
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In Canada, the scrum is a daily ritual in the hallway outside theHouse of Commons. Members of theParliamentary Press Gallery surround politicians as they exit the chamber. The disorganization and pressure of the scrum makes it notorious for drawing remarks that are unplanned or controversial.[3] Liberal MPCarolyn Parrish remarked, "damn Americans, I hate those bastards" during a scrum in the run-up to theIraq War.[4][5]
Because of these concerns, politicians have sometimes tried to avoid the scrum in favour of more formal venues.[6]Canadian Alliance leaderStockwell Day declined to scrum, instead holding a daily press conference.Brian Mulroney restricted scrums during his time asPrime Minister of Canada by positioning himself on the stairway up to his office. This allowed him to tower over the media on the steps below him.[7] The media so resented this practice that whenJean Chrétien held a "staircase scrum" soon after assuming office, their reaction was so negative that he promised never to do it again.[8] By contrast, althoughPierre Trudeau's relationship with the press was rocky, he was famously quick-witted and enjoyed deflecting — or returning — barbs from reporters.[7] Many of his famous quotations, including "there's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation" and "just watch me", were made during scrums.
