IOC admits to media censorship deal with China

[Muta]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Sorry, but I'm not fully understanding the problem here. Why do the media need access to the sites like Amnesty International anyways? Is the inability to access websites hosted outside of china actually preventing them from reporting the games?

If one was so inclined to, they could access any website depending on their technologies available to them. Perhaps journalists should have acquired the information they needed from these blocked websites before hand and knew the limitations of their accessiblity going in.

Saying that they still CANNOT access Amnesty International's website sounds more logical and intelligent than saying they NEED to access the Amnesty Internation website from inside China but they can't. I don't think the blockage of these websites is exactly new and little known news.

[malcolmk14]

Originally Posted by fredr123

I wish someone would filter my internet access so I don't have to read about China and it's various problems for the next month solid.

i laughed pretty hard at this.

[HotHotHeat]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Sorry, but I'm not fully understanding the problem here. Why do the media need access to the sites like Amnesty International anyways? Is the inability to access websites hosted outside of china actually preventing them from reporting the games?

It's principle. The Chinese gov't. is going back on it's word. For media, a censored internet simply goes against what the Western World believes.

Unless you're the Bush Whitehouse...Then censoring the internet is fine and dandy.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by Muta

If one was so inclined to, they could access any website depending on their technologies available to them. Perhaps journalists should have acquired the information they needed from these blocked websites before hand and knew the limitations of their accessiblity going in.

Saying that they still CANNOT access Amnesty International's website sounds more logical and intelligent than saying they NEED to access the Amnesty Internation website from inside China but they can't. I don't think the blockage of these websites is exactly new and little known news.

I think the bigger issue is whether attempts to access this information (even through someone in a western country forwarding the information) forms a circumvention of the law and is thus prosecutable. Can a journalist in China be arrested or disciplined for receiving Amnesty International content via an email and incorporating it into a news report? Does the threat of that go beyond censoring their own media and become censorship of international media?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by octothorp

I think the bigger issue is whether attempts to access this information (even through someone in a western country forwarding the information) forms a circumvention of the law and is thus prosecutable. Can a journalist in China be arrested or disciplined for receiving Amnesty International content via an email and incorporating it into a news report? Does the threat of that go beyond censoring their own media and become censorship of international media?

The minute China attempts to pulls that crap during the Olympics, the rest of the world would be on it like a hot potato. This event will arguably be one of the largest international get-togethers in China's history, so arresting journalists at this time would be a public relations no-no and a HUGE hit on the international crediblity of that country; well moreso than it is now.