The Great Olympic Swindle: How China Tricked the World on Press Freedom

With just two days until the torch hits the cauldron in Beijing and the Games begin, the world's eyes are locked on China, watching half in wondrous anticipation of the Olympics and half in pure, unadulterated amazement that the world has actually entrusted China with the Olympics.

Back in 2001, Wang Wei, the head of Beijing's 2008 Olympic bid campaign famously told the International Olympic Committee "We will give the media complete freedom to report when they come to China." The motto of the Beijing bid delegation was "New Beijing, Great Olympics," promising a slow but steady improvement of human rights in China and hinting at democratization. The IOC, a body who historically awards the Games to cities that are not only ready, but cities that also need to develop, practically salivated at the idea of a Beijing Olympics and all that it would represent. As ESPN's Jim Caple wrote in an editorial Tuesday:

The four other finalists for the 2008 Olympics were Paris; Toronto; Osaka, Japan; and Istanbul, Turkey; each is a fine, attractive city, and all are most certainly less controversial than Beijing. We would not see "Free Saskatchewan" protests leading up to Toronto. But that's precisely the point: Whether it was the IOC's intention or not, due to all the surrounding sagas, Beijing has made the Olympics interesting again.

And this couldn't be more true. Beijing has certainly made the Games "interesting." But as the Games draw near, what has been most "interesting" is not China's coming-out party, but how China has reneged on all of its promises for the Summer Games, pulling off a swindle of Olympic proportions.

In just the last week, we have witnessed the sad reality of reporters in the official Beijing Olympics Main Press Center going online to do research for their stories only to discover that numerous sites they relied on had been blocked. The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that its own Olympics blog had been blocked by the Chinese government and that hundreds of other sites would be censored, not in the hotels or in Olympic housing, but in the press tents. As of Wednesday, MSN's Taiwan site, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Huffington Post, and numerous Falun Gong and Free Tibet sites remain blocked not only for the Chinese people, but for the Olympic press as well.

If you cling naively to any hope that the IOC will swoop in like Superman and demand the Chinese keep their pre-Olympic promises, don't hold your breath. The IOC, we learned this week, struck a deal with the Chinese government to allow sensitive non-Olympic-related websites to be blocked during the Games. IOC press chief Kevan Gosper told the press, "I regret that it now appears BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Committee) has announced that there will be limitations on Web site access during Games time. I also now understand that some IOC officials negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered Games related." Rather than stand up to China on press freedom during the Olympics, our international Olympic body shamefully cowered and became complicit with the censors.

But that wasn't even the worst incident in the world of press freedom this week.

On Monday, two Japanese reporters covering a grenade attack that killed 16 people at a border patrol station in western China's Xinjiang province were beaten by local Chinese police. One told his network in Japan, "My face was pushed into the ground, my arm was twisted and I was hit two or three times in the face." While the Chinese government apologized Tuesday, the event shows that Chinese officials, on both local and national levels, have been trained to react violently, particularly when it comes to what they consider dangerous press freedom. Perhaps the Japanese reporters should have known better than to cover a terrorist attack in the Olympic host country four days before the Olympics.

China makes no mistake about it. They're not going to let a little thing like the Olympics change their ways. The news story receiving the least attention this week that deserved the most was from China's state news service Xinhua titled "Press freedom shall not go above laws." Xinhua, which is merely a mouthpiece for the government, justifies all crackdowns on subversive websites (like the Philadelphia Inquirer) on the basis that Chinese law outranks freedom of the press. Here is a piece from the story:

Journalistic freedom, at any time, is a relative but not absolute conception. Even for the media in the United States, contempt of court and violation of citizen's privacy are banned by laws....

The openness to media complies with both international conventions and the Chinese laws. Just like other countries, China regulates the Internet according to law.

The Chinese laws forbid anyone to spread illegal information, such as preaching an evil cult like the Falungong, or do anything that harms national interests through the Internet.

It appears China is actually for an unfettered freedom of the press, as long as that freedom doesn't conflict with Chinese law, which expressly limits the freedom of the press.

We have all been duped. The IOC, NBC, reporters working in China, those who love the Olympics, all of us. The Chinese government made essential and unequivocal promises they had no intention of keeping in order to win the right to put on the show that starts Friday. By not demanding a free press during the Games, the rest of the world has conspired with China, allowing it to conduct business as usual, shutting off anything and everything thought to "harm national interests." We have given China the immense power to censor, not just for its own people, but now for ours.

And two weeks from now, after the Games have ended, China will be more powerful than it's ever been.

Read more HuffPost coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

Comments

[joebiz]

NBC has been complicit (not duped) in not covering the more "negative" aspects of Chinese style "democracy." NBC's parent company, General Electric (GE), has entered into multi-billion dollar trade and manufacturing deals with the Chinese. GE does not want to upset their hosts and veritable clientele, regardless of how oppressive and or anti-democratic they are.

[quijotesca]

I do think it is disgraceful to hold the games in China. But since we are a nation of couch potatoes obsessed with watching sports, maybe we will awaken to the travesty that began when we booted out of the UN our ally, Nationalist China in Taiwan, and recognized and placed the mantle of legitimacy upon a murderous regime and all in the holy name of money. Where is the big boogie man of communism and oppressive totalitarianism when it comes to China? Maybe our couch athletes might get a glimpse between their guzzling of beer and their scarfing of chips.

[steamboat]

Tell that to your liberal pals at NBC and MSNBC. There the ones who gave China a record amount for the rights to televise their Olympics. You know, Keith Olbermann's employer. And I notice Keith isn't saying one word as far as criticism goes.

[headstrong]

Now who was actually stupid enough to believe the Chinese would change anything?
No one, I suspect.

[truth101]

The silver lining in this entire upcoming fiasco is that the Chinese leadership will be so
thoroughly embarrassed by the publicity over its failure to adhere to the Geneva Conventions
that it will make a strategic decision to begin the process Gorbachav a generation ago
realized was necessary for his country. The truth is BEIJNG IS NOW A FISHBOWL
AND THE CHINESE CAN'T PRETEND ANYMORE.

[rwt1138]

Nobody was "duped". Maybe I am cynical, but I find it difficult to believe that anyone with any sense or awareness of China or its history actually thought that this society was just going to open up and pretend to be a Western, industrial democracy for two weeks.
Here's a tip: potential host cities lie to the IOC during the vetting process. Atlanta swore that summer temperatures are normally around 80 degrees. Salt Lake City promised that alcohol would be as available there as in any other host city. It's part of the process. I'm not defending it, but it is what it is and pretending that every leopard that wants to host the Olympics will actually change its spots for the privilege is just silly.

[mergina]

Why I ask, does the media put up with this crap? Leave them to play with themselves. To hell with them.

[knowhelpnow]

I'm with you if the press can't do their jobs then go home. Let China just have zero press coverage.
I told the IOC that I wouldn't watch any of it and I suggest that the whole world not watch. It would be better if all the press didn't show up at all, that to me would be great and teach them a lesson at the same time.

[3dtrix]

China has a three-thousand year history of out-maneuvering those who would bend it to their will. They are patient, determined and not the least bit warm and fuzzy. Those who would consider the present and future relationship of the US to China (its masters-in-waiting) would be well-advised to be instructed by their manipulation of the IOC, global press and other nations.

Who owns our debt?

What did we get for the money?

What will they get?

[grn1]

Geez it all sounds so intriguing, how will the golden calf be carved?

[grn1]

It could turn out like the oil deal in Iraq, do you have any spare children?

[jvarga]

Or maybe we came out ahead. We got physical things, stuff, electronics whatever, that represent natural resources. They got our debt, a non-physical entity. Like the opposite of what happened to the USA in Heinlein's book For Us, The Living (I think that's it, I'll have to check later).

[3dtrix]

In less than a generation, China has managed to acquire the bulk of our manufacturing base, millions of our jobs, and hundreds of billions of our dollars. They are now using OUR cash to buy our skyscrapers and agricultural land.

Try to find a TV or CD player made in the US.

Our leaders have sold us out for a quick buck, because that's what they think leaders do. China's leaders have positioned their nation for global domination in the 21st century.

I don't call that coming out ahead.

[truth101]

You fail to grasp that the inflation of the next two years due to the oil
price will mean the payment of the debt will be in large part
reduced because the currency will be devalued accordingly. This
is the genius of borrowing and the US is second to none in this regard.
CHINA IS LOCKED TO THE DOLLAR.

[3dtrix]

To begin with, you have no idea what I fail to grasp, including why you believe it's your duty to point out the deficiencies in my intellect.

If you believe that inflation of the dollar, and the attendant erosion of its purchasing power will have a significant effect on our trade deficit with China, or our capital debt to them, allow me to suggest a phrase you may find useful in the years to come; "Do you want fries with that?"

[1pappy]

"...our international Olympic body shamefully cowered and became complicit with the censors. "

Wrong. The International Olympic Commitee is a for profit business run by some very rich individuals who make huge amounts of money.

There is no "our" in the Olympic body.

[lexnekst]

Tricked who?

There were millions of us who knew this was inevitable- I migh add we're the same group that was skeptical about Iraq, while the media was busy selling it.

Foolish press. China has no incentives to bow to anyone's request. They own us, and they know nobody will challenge them.

[Crowhaul]

The IOC should have a simple and clear policy: no authoritarian regimes can play host.

[JTyroler]

HuffPost's Pick

Why is anyone surprised that a totalitarian regime is suppressing the free exchange of ideas? Maybe there's be some restoration of the freedom of the press after Bush is out of office.

Now, in China...

[LeonBNJ]

The PRC got the Olympics as they could afford the massive facilities needed for them in the modern era and they could use them to their political and economic advantage. The IOC and those that voted for the PRC to host these Olympics did so mainly for the corporate interests in their countries and trade and investment from China. That gave China the de facto approval to ignore the IOC's goals of encouraging open press and personal freedom of expression and access to information.
While I don't wish any terror events at these Olympics or anyone killed for protests, I do believe the PRC's well publicized opressive policies during the Olympics will far outweigh any benefits of holding them.

[Paul]

The Olympic movement has been corrupted by commercialism. China is a totalitarian state.

I don't plan to watch any of the Olympics on TV.

[timetorevolt]

Sad..but we can't lead by example. US citizens who don't agree with Bush or McCain or not allowed in public areas when they hold their propoganda events..And the US Media ignores this. In addition, the US media was lied to about the Iraq war and still have not called this administration out for their lies. . This country is well on it's way to having a state controlled press.. Fox News is already completely state controlled propoganda machine and ABC and the Associated Press aren't far behind.