What is the relationship between press freedoms in China and the 2008 Olympic Games ?
Right now, things are moving along smoothly. There have been no huge, sensationalist stories so far. After the Games, I think the Chinese government will re-evaluate the situation. If they believe lifting restrictions on foreign reporters has caused trouble, they might act. But I wouldn’t bet on that. There is a lot of pride wrapped up in the Olympics. The Chinese do not want to damage their reputation. I believe the opening up to ‘Western’ journalists will continue. Foreign journalists in China still face challenges, however – right? Yes, they do. There was a New York Times story a while ago – a writer went to check out a Guangdong province factory, where workers crank out products for overseas consumption. The reporter wanted to find out what was going on inside the factory compound. For some reason, there was a misunderstanding and he ended up being held. He called for help and local security responded. But they couldn’t get in. ‘It’s the factory boss’ jurisdiction,’ they said. ‘We
