Olympics: How western news teams battled against China’s interference

Chinese authorities have made it increasingly difficult for British news teams covering the Olympics to operate, despite assurances prior to the event that western news organisations would be allowed to report freely.

As the Games draw to a close, MediaGuardian.co.uk surveyed a number of British journalists to find out their experiences.

They have faced a number of barriers to reporting, including being detained by police.

And there are claims of having been lied to, misled, monitored and made to jump through bureaucratic hoops.

Most prominently, ITN reporter John Ray was detained following a scuffle with Chinese authorities last Wednesday.

They accused him of trying to unfurl a Tibetan flag as he covered a protest close to Beijing’s main Olympic zone - a claim vehemently denied.

Ray, who sustained minor injuries, said he was set upon by four or five officers, pinned down by police and dragged along the ground before being pushed into a police van and detained for about 20 minutes.

The ITN journalist, who is China correspondent for ITV News, said his press accreditation was in his pocket but the authorities would not allow him to access it during the fracas. He added that he also had equipment confiscated and his shoes pulled from his feet.

Guardian photographer Dan Chung was also caught up in the fracas and manhandled by police, who tried to block his shots as he attempted to cover the disturbance.

It is not the only British journalists coming under pressure from the Chinese authorities.

Before the Games, China agreed to allow British and other western journalists the rights they would expect in their native countries. Chinese reporters were not given the same deal.

However, British TV news crews have complained of months of obstruction, hindrance and delays.

One told MediaGuardian.co.uk there was an almost “pathological reluctance” to take any responsibility for any decision that involved the Olympics and that the IOC was “toothless” in the face of continued media restrictions.

The Ray confrontation appeared to be the clearest breach of the host nation’s promise of free media access during the games, leading to complaints from ITN about the treatment of its employees.

The Sky News senior foreign news editor, Andy Gales, told MediaGuardian.co.uk his organisation had been hampered.

“We experienced a lot of red tape and almost professional obstructionism [from Chinese authorities] in the build up to the games - the worst being when we were suddenly told that foreigners would not be allowed access to the building we are now using for our live studio overlooking the Bird’s Nest.”

“That problem was finally overcome but only at the last minute and after a huge amount of effort by our Beijing bureau.

“Our studio then had a few visits from the police threatening to close us down just days before the Games began because they suddenly decided we were too close to the stadium. Another hurdle we had to overcome.”

Gales added that negotiating the host of permissions needed to bring a satellite dish into China “felt like a real coup” becasue it allowed them to broadcast live from inside the Forbidden City and on top of The Great Wall in the build up to the opening ceremony.

“Since then we’ve had nothing more than a few hands put in front of our lenses - which is par for the course in China,” he added.

This is in stark contrast to the experiences of some sports reporters working inside the Beijing Olympic bubble.

One national newspaper sports reporter told MediaGuardian.co.uk that he had no complaints about his treatment by the Chinese authorities or Olympic organisers.

However, other British reporters have come under suspicion and have been operating under the close scrutiny of the authorities.

A leading British national newspaper correspondent revealed that he had been photographed and monitored when in Beijing, coming in for closer attention as he covered a pro-Tibet meeting at a hotel, which Chinese authorities quickly closed down.

The same reporter claimed the frequency of planned daily press conferences with the Beijing Olympic officials had been cut after various clashes between hacks and officials

“We have been continually lied to. It has got to the stage where people who ask tough questions of them are not allowed, basically ignored when hands go up, to ask any more,” he told MediaGuardian.co.uk.

Tensions came to a head between the media and the Games organisers on Thursday last week, when Channel 4 News reporter Alex Thompson asked IOC officials if they were embarrassed about claims that the Chinese had failed to keep promises on press freedoms.

At the time of publication, IOC officials in China had not responded to requests for comment.

– By Oliver Luft

Popularity: 1% [?]