A new report by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on press freedom in China’s Olympic year highlights significant shortcomings in China’s approach to press freedom during 2008.
The report, China’s Olympic Challenge: Press Freedom in 2008, is the result of a 12-month press freedom monitoring project coordinated by IFJ Asia-Pacific from Sydney and Hong Kong. It examines the major problems faced by foreign and local journalists reporting in China during 2008.
When granted the Olympic Games, China promised that all foreign journalists, including journalists from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, would enjoy freedom to report. Overall, despite some bright spots, the report finds that China did not live up to its promises.
The report also addresses the difficulties faced by mainland journalists, as well as journalists working in Hong Kong and Macau.
The situation for mainland journalists, who received less international attention than their colleagues from overseas, remained grim and there were few signs of improvement through the year. Mainland journalists continued to be jailed for doing their jobs, and state security organs continued to clamp down on free reporting and on online journalism.
The information in the report was contributed by a wide network coordinated by the IFJ under the monitoring project, including contributors from mainland China and outside the country. That many contributors must remain anonymous for fear of reprisals highlights the reality of media freedom in China.
The IFJ calls on China’s Government to take several immediate actions, including the following:
- Release jailed journalists and cease to jail journalists for doing their jobs.
- End restrictions and punishments for online journalists.
- End the use of state security and social order laws to intimidate and silence journalists.
- Ensure that new rules allowing foreign journalists a free hand while reporting are implemented on the ground, and understood by law enforcement and security officials.
“China did not live up to its Olympic promise to allow free and independent reporting by all journalists in China during 2008,” IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said.
“However, the IFJ did see signs progress on media freedom as China basked in the Olympic spotlight. While authorities in some areas repeatedly set up obstacles for media workers, there was a weakening of some of the barriers that obstruct free reporting and expression in China.
“The challenge now is to make good on the gains for press freedom during 2008, to maintain international scrutiny of media rights in China, and to continue to encourage China’s government and authorities to embrace and act on the principles of press freedom.”
China’s Olympic Challenge: Press Freedom in 2008 can be viewed in full in English, traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese at the IFJ website at http://asiapacific.ifj.org/en/pages/open-and-free-towards-a-democratic-media-culture-in-china. For printed copies, contact the IFJ Asia-Pacific office.
The IFJ’s monitoring project for China will continue throughout 2009. Alerts and bulletins issued by the project are available at www.ifj.org.
For more information contact:
Serenade Woo, Hong Kong: +852 – 914 591 45
IFJ Asia-Pacific: +61-2-9333-0919
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 122 countries