China Blocks Foreign Media’s Internet Access
By Anna Johnson on August 1st, 2008Despite assurances from the International Olympic Committee that the foreign news media would be able to “report freely” during the 2008 Olympic Games to be held in Beijing, China… until today, news reporters found their Internet access severely restricted.
Foreign reporters located in China were effectively subject to the same laws under which Chinese citizens are blocked from accessing a wide range of websites regarded by the Government as detrimental to stability. These include webpages discussing such matters as Tibet, Taiwanese independence, the Tiananmen Square massacre, the websites of Amnesty International, the BBC’s Chinese-language news, Radio Free Asia and several, and several relatively free thinking Hong Kong newspapers.
Today – presumably in light of the backlash over the restrictions – the Chinese Government opened up the Internet for the foreign media.
The Olympic Games has certainly thrown the international spotlight on China. And the picture ain’t entirely pretty.
Sources: Andrew Jacobs, “China to Limit Web Access During Olympic Games”, The New York Times, July 31, 2008
