The Chinese already beating reporters and destroying their photos

DannyinJapan

DannyinJapan

Joined
Oct 9, 2003
Messages
5,594
KASHGAR, China — As tens of thousands of foreign journalists arrive to test China's pledges to respect media freedom during the Olympic Games, the nation offered apologies Tuesday for the beatings that police gave two Japanese journalists who were covering a deadly assault by Muslim separatists.

Paramilitary police kicked and beat the journalists, throwing one to the ground, putting boots to his head and body, and damaging his photo gear.

In a separate incident, police entered the hotel room of an Agence France Presse photographer and forced him to delete photos of the attack scene, the French agency said.


I still say boycott.
 
I don't think China is ready for this.

What does a boycott do though?
 
Be interesting to see just how "well" or not the relationship goes between the Chinese authorities and media owned by Rupert Murdoch.
 
A boycott embarrasses the Chinese govt and embarrassment is almost the worst thing you can do to their insecure little minds.
 
Does it embarass them as much as their own bad behavior, which will be reported with or without video evidence?

If we go there and it sucks, don't they get worse embarassment?
 
It ticks me off that the IOC is basically kissing butt. When the web-site suppression story broke, the IOC president said "Oh, I guess we expected too much, even though the Chinese promised not to do this." Granted, he's got bigger things to worry about than whether some reporter from the Iowa Post can read Amnesty International while he or she is covering track and field, but it was the most noodle-kneed negotiation I've seen in a long, long time.

Tigers don't change their stripes so easily. I think the danger here is ego - the Chinese government and many of the Chinese people really, REALLY want the games to be GREAT, so they try to cover up the blemishes. In their zeal for perfection, they're going to irrational extremes, possibly in the heat of the moment. As usual, the cover-up is the biggest story. (By cover-up, I don't mean in the usual conspiracy sense. I mean literally covering things, like blocking photographers from taking a picture, or putting a billboard in front of a dilapidated building). The US cycling team people wearing their pollution masks in public is another weird backlash. Prior to the Olympics, many pictures of Beijing show people wearing masks. The cyclists do it, and suddenly they're provoking an "international incident".

On another note, our relationship with news photographers is weird. Everybody likes reading the paper, or checking out the celebrity gossip mags, or whatever, but people dislike when the camera is turned on them. Then it's cover up the lenses, no comment, etc. etc.
 
It's kinda like inviting a bunch of people to dinner and then beatin' on your kids in front of everyone. :(

China has repeatedly said that the Olympics shouldnt' be politicized... but didn't they boycott the Moscow Olympics in the 80's? :confused:
 
Even if no one else showed up the Chinese have a couple billion people to fill the seats.
 
They can do whatever they want.

Not only does the gov't now owe the Chinese for financing our out of control gov't spending but soon we as individuals will owe them too:

Obstacles have been cleared for two Chinese state-owned banks – the Industry and Commerce Bank of China and the China Construction Bank – to set up branches in the United States, according to industry sources.

The US Federal Reserve was initially skeptical of the two banks, which are backed mainly by China's sovereign wealth fund, the China Investment Corporation (CIC). But China had made assurances that the CIC would not interfere in the operation and administration of the two banks, and would strictly play by market rules.
Click to expand...

http://www.eeo.com.cn/ens/finance_investment/2008/06/24/104214.html

They will play by the market rules all right, market donations to US politicians till they change the rules to their liking.
 
Beijing never should have gotten the Olympics, but since they did, I can't see boycotting the games themselves. It didn't accomplish anything when we boycotted the Olympics in the Soviet Union.
 
It's a matter of principle. If only one athlete receives his gold medal with a "Free Tibet" shirt on, that will do it for me.
 
Put it really hurts them -- boycott as much "Made in China" as you can (I know it's impossible these days to boycott everything).
 
Now this makes me mad. THe IOC is refusing to enforce its own rules for fear of irritating their hosts...
Click to expand...
Seems contradictory that a UK diver was allowed at 14 (and proved a flop anyway). Different sport ok, but still.....
 
communism, whether they be chi-coms or russkies equals :(

unfortunately i see this as a glimpse into the coming freight train via Georgia.

ryan
 
Another reporter (British) beaten and arrested by Chinese police today.
This one was trying to report on a demonstration.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top