Beijing Olympics Gag Media and Internet
IOC Agrees To Web Censorship By China During Olympic Games
Aug 3, 2008
Only days remain until the start of the summer Olympics in China and many organizations are beginning to regret having China receive the games in the first place. Kelly McPharland of Canada’s National and Financial Post said, “The International Olympic Committee is learning what happens when you play make-believe in awarding the Summer Games. Seven years ago the committee awarded the games to Beijing, wanting to believe it would turn out to be a good idea…Obviously, it was a lot to ask….China’s communists made clear in [the 1989] Tiananmen Square [massacre]…just how little progress they were willing to entertain.”
"When Beijing was awarded the Games, China had committed to providing media with the same freedom to report on the Games as they enjoyed in previous Olympics," Canadian TV's Beijing Bureau Chief Steve Chao reported. However, Kevin Gosper, chairman of the IOC Press Commission said on Wednesday: "IOC officials negotiated with the Chinese [so] that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered Games-related. I regret that it now appears [Beijing] has announced that there will be limitations on [other] Web site access during Games time."
“Yet another broken promise," said reporter Sans Frontieres of Reporters Without Borders whose site is blocked. "…this is yet another provocation by the Chinese authorities….We condemn the IOC's failure to do anything about this…."
Little Man’s Complex
As comedian Rodney Dangerfield said: “I get no respect!” China has developed a complex, much to her own doing that drives her to seek international recognition. Olympic author David Wallechinsky said to Brendan Kennedy of the Ottawa Citizen: “…the Games are not normally hosted by an emerging superpower with a penchant for gamesmanship, eager to flex its muscles on a world stage.”
The ends justify the means in the eyes of Chinese leaders but China does not like any criticism of its methods. Wallechinsky continued: "The purpose of the Olympics, from the point of view of the Chinese Communist Party, is to convince the Chinese people…that the rest of the world acknowledges them as legitimate leaders,"
As long as this point is maintained, no matter how it is achieved, the ends – maintenance of control and world respect of China – are preserved. British journalist and documentary film maker Adian Hartly reported in the film China's Olympic Lie, “When it won the Olympic bid, China promised to improve its human rights record. Instead…things have got worse.” Hartley filmed inside one of Beijing's black jails “…which Chinese authorities deny exist and Olympics officials…claim to have no knowledge of….”
Why
- Market - The prize of China is the huge untapped market share the world may gain.
- Competitor - China has become a world competitor for precious natural materials, especially oil and gas.
- Politics - China plays a detailed role in international politics in North Korea, Africa and the Middle East.
- Finance - China is the second largest holder of American debt.
The Deal
A deal implies mutual agreement, unless you are dealing with China. “Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, had previously pledged there would be no censorship in Beijing,” according to the Telegraph. None the less China changed the deal in 3 main areas.
- Internet – This clamor has resurfaced due to the change in Chinese media policy. She has denied access to Hong Kong and Taiwanese newspapers, Falun Gong religious sites, human rights sites and other international media sites. Even the BBC’s Chinese language site has now been banned.
- Tiananmen Square– Previously accepted as an attraction, China has newly reneged and set up “tourist” checkpoints for fear of the media filming Chinese citizen demonstrations.
- Tibet – All police leave has been cancelled and non governmental Internet sites about Tibet have been blocked nationally.
As Spencer said on Wednesday the 30th of July, “…despite hopes by the IOC that the Games would bring greater openness, China is maintaining [tighter] security….”
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