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For all these moderatey-low-level government briefings, like state=level or major cities, you see on the stage or dias, next to the actually important person talking, some (almost always female) person doing sign language. THEY. ARE. ON. TV. Deaf people can read lips, and they can read sign language and they can read actual writing. In fact, that skill is largely a prerequisite for reading sign language, especially when you deal with names or other words that don't have common gestures. If you can read, you can read the captions or other words on TV, that generally have more information than the press conference speeches. The rest of us never seem to watch that kind of TV anyway, we leave in on in the background with one ear and a fragment of our attention on it in case something interesting comes up. You never have a room full of people staring at it, like in the movies or on TV shows, and ironically, such rooms are too loud for people to actually hear the speaker anyway. The people in charge of TV know this, which is why there are captioning services and graphics and whatnot.

The only people who actually derive any benefit from the signing individuals on stage, are deaf journalists in the room. And why would any news organization worth its salt send a DEAF reporter to a press conference?

It has to be one of the most stupid forms of inclusive posturing out there.