Olympic rules may not help Chinese journalists

By Bill Smith Dec 1, 2006, 13:18 GMT

Beijing - China's pledge on Friday to relax rules for foreign journalists in the run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games shows its commitment to meeting international standards but seems unlikely to bring direct benefits to Chinese reporters in the closely controlled state media.

'My first comment is that it's under pressure that the government is changing the rules,' Vincent Brossel, head of the Asia desk for Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa by telephone.

'They recognize that it's a problem,' Brossel said of the Chinese government's existing control of foreign journalists.

With more than 20,000 foreign journalists expected in China before and during the games, Brossel said the sheer frequency of contact between them and Chinese journalists, assistants and activists could affect the overall media climate in China.

'The simple fact that Chinese journalists can be involved, can be in contact (with foreign journalists)... can have an impact,' he said.

But Li Datong, one of China's most respected editors and media commentators, does not expect the changes to benefit journalists in the tightly controlled state media.

'It's good for foreign journalists but it won't have any effect for domestic journalists,' Li told dpa.

China requires foreign journalists to seek advance permission from local authorities before investigating any story.

The journalists often ignore the current regulations, resulting in frequent arrests, especially on non-sanctioned reporting trips outside Beijing.

'They [Chinese officials] know these regulations don't have any effect,' Li said.

The new regulations will not bring any relaxation of the rules for domestic reporters because officials retain such a high degree control over China's state media, he said.

'It's mainly a systemic problem,' Li said.

Chinese journalists face much stricter rules and censorship of their reports by editors of state media.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said it recorded 32 journalists in Chinese prisons at the end of last year, the highest total in the world.

Issues of media freedom were raised during several visits to Beijing this year by Hein Verbruggen, the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) organizing group for the 2008 games.

Verbruggen said he was convinced that top Chinese Olympic organizers, many of whom are senior members of the ruling Communist Party, would try hard to meet their obligations under their contract with the IOC.

He said he believed that the Chinese government would avoid promoting its policies at the games and would allow relative freedom for foreign reporters.

The new regulations and positive statements by the foreign ministry seem to support Verbruggen's assessment.

The foreign ministry said it issued the regulations to 'facilitate reporting activities... and promote the Olympic spirit' during the 2008 games.

The regulations apply from January 1, 2007 until October 17, 2008 and allow foreign journalists to travel anywhere in China to report on the Beijing Olympics and 'related matters.'

Though he welcomed the regulations, Brosser said they were 'limited in time and limited in effect.'

'We want a permanent change in the way that the authorities rule the work of foreign journalists,' he said.

Under the new regulations, journalists reporting outside Beijing do not need approval from local foreign affairs departments, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters.

'They will not ask you what you are doing unless there are some special concerns in terms of public interest or social order, but that does not target foreign journalists,' Liu said.

'To interview organizations or individuals in China, foreign journalists need only to obtain their prior consent,' says Article 6 of the regulations.

Key tests are likely to come when foreign journalists are arrested outside Beijing while reporting events that do not fall into the government's category of 'emergency incidents and accidents.'

Potential protests in Beijing by Tibetan independence supporters or rights activists are still likely to be counted as 'emergency incidents' by China's Public Security Bureau, meaning foreign reporters face possible detention or confiscation of written, audio and visual material.

The new regulations restate foreign journalists' right to recruit Chinese assistants and interpreters through government service agencies.

But Chinese citizens are still not allowed to work as journalists for foreign media.

The difficulty facing Chinese journalists who cooperate with foreign media was reflected by the rejection on Friday of an appeal by Zhao Yan, a Chinese journalist working as a researcher for the New York Times.

Zhao was sentenced to three years in prison for fraud, in a hearing that his lawyer, Guan Anping, said 'falls short of international standards.'

'It is very unfair,' Guan said. 'They deprived Zhao Yan of his right to subpoena witnesses at the first and second trials.'

Zhao was convicted of fraud despite first being charged with leaking state secrets.