A Censored Olympics: Is China Getting Away with Journalistic Murder?

International Journalists Complain of Being Followed, Harassed

Angie Mohr CA CMA, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Aug 11, 2008 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

According to The London Times, Olympic officials are investigating reports from journalists that they are being followed and photographed as they interview and report on the Olympic Games, and that in some cases, their notes and tapes are being confiscated by Chinese officials. If found to be true, these reports of Olympic censorship contravene the agreement China has made with the International Olympic Committee regarding freedom of the press to report on the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The complaint states that Chinese reporters attending a press conference with the US men's volleyball team were confronted by Chinese Olympic staff members after the reporters had asked the team some pointed questions about last week's murder of the volleyball team's coach's father-in-law and the subsequent suicide of the murderer. The reporters' notes and tapes were confiscated, allegedly so that the officials could get a better understanding of the nature of the conversation, but the materials were never returned.

Freedom of the press is so ingrained in American law and culture, we can sometimes forget that we didn't always have it, and there are places in the world that still do not. As a journalist, I take for granted that I will be able to interview whom I wish and write about whatever topic interests or inspires me. Censorship, however, abounds in countries ruled by totalitarian and communist regimes. For the very first time, the issue of censorship has reared its ugly head in the most democratic of all international institutions, the Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee secured assurances from the Chinese government that journalists from all over the world, including Chinese reporters, would be allowed to report on the Olympics unfettered without the threat of censorship. China's idea of "unfettered" is very different from the rest of the world's definition. In the week leading up to the Beijing Olympics, reporters already on Olympic grounds were complaining of slow internet connectivity and blocked websites. In response, the International Olympic committee released a statement clarifying that the Chinese government had agreed only to journalistic freedom to report on the Olympic Games themselves, not on other issues and news in China.

Allowing China to host the Olympic Games has created an uncomfortable and, to some, untenable situation where China's censorship and abuse of individual freedoms must be overlooked by the rest of the world. Reporters, who would in other situations fight tooth and nail for freedom of the press, have compromised their values in order to get the chance to report on the Olympic Games in person. World leaders must hold their noses as they attend the Games, pretending that these abuses are not occurring right in their presence. It can only be hoped that the International Olympic Committee can hold the Chinese government accountable and restore journalistic integrity to the Olympic Games.

Sources:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4503453.ece

Published by Angie Mohr CA CMA - Featured Contributor in Finance and Lifestyle

Angie Mohr is a Chartered Accountant and Certified Management Accountant who has worked with thousands of business clients from home-based entrepreneurs to rock bands to celebrity chefs. She is also the auth... View profile

A Censored Olympics: Is China Getting Away with Journalistic Murder?

International Journalists Complain of Being Followed, Harassed

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