If the world's a stage, then China gets center stage as Beijing plays host to the 2008 Olympic Games beginning Friday, August 8.
An estimated 20,000 journalists have already descended upon the city to cover this premiere sporting event �" and more. China's human rights record will surely dominate the non-sporting news accounts in the next two weeks, along with stories on air pollution in Beijing or about the country's AIDS cases and its travel ban on visitors with HIV.
Meanwhile, the issue of press freedom in the country continues to stick out like a sore thumb amidst the Chinese government's all-out effort to put forward a more favorable image of itself before the world audience.
As early as a year ago, the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists published a report giving China a failing grade on press freedom. The report concluded that contrary to the Chinese government's pledge during its bid to host the 2008 Games, China "remains backward in allowing its people access to news" and continues to show "scant regard for the rights of journalists."
To its credit, the Chinese government, on January 1, 2007, liberalized reporting regulations for foreign correspondents, aimed at easing up on press censorship. Despite these regulations, however, foreign media in China have complained of continued harassment by officials. Melinda Liu, immediate past president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of China, said that domestic journalists have it much worse. The FCCC receives and compiles reports of physical violence, harassment, and other types of interference experienced by journalists in China. Since January 1, 2007, the FCCC has logged more than 270 cases of reporting interference ranging from intimidation and denial of access to public areas to destruction of journalistic materials and detention.
Last month, the Asian American Journalists Association hosted a conference call with some of its members and others who are based or have recently been in China. While some foreign journalists noted the absence of government interference with their reporting, this situation abruptly changed at the height of the Tibetan protests in March and the big earthquake in the Sichuan province in May. It is clear that the government was quick to reinstate censorship when faced by criticism or negative publicity as a result of its actions.
There's more bad news for the Chinese government. Last Tuesday, Amnesty International issued a scathing assessment of China's human rights record, saying that it has all but deteriorated in the seven years since Beijing won its bid to host the Olympics. As expected, China's Foreign Ministry rejected the report, saying that it hopes for China to be seen in an "objective way." But doesn't objectivity require the reporting of the good, as well as the bad, about China? And doesn't censorship break down the very essence of objective reporting?
Have we set our expectation too high about China undergoing a major transformation from a police state to a bastion of press freedom �" all in the name of the Olympics? Even if China transformed fully to satisfy the standards of the Western world in the years leading up to and during the Games, what assurance is there that this would continue post Olympics? It is, after all, still ruled by a communist party, under which press and other forms of freedom can only go as far as the rulers will allow.
Despite China's failing marks on press freedom, all is not lost in the endeavor to report on the good and the bad about this country of 1.3 billion people. Thanks to the persistence of many of our journalists who consistently try to push harder each time they encounter a challenge or a roadblock in their pursuit of the truth. And thanks to the power of the Internet (despite reports of the Chinese government's moves to limit access) and to the emergence of citizen journalism that enables the reporting of news that would otherwise be curtailed if done through the normal channels.
And thanks to the courage of many unnamed Chinese citizens and the journalists' commitment to protecting their sources, we will read and hear of many interesting and eye-opening stories about China �" beyond the medal counts and superstar athletes.
As for the Chinese government, its stance on press freedom can only mean a lost opportunity to re-introduce China to the world stage as a nation that deserves both admiration and respect, a nation that makes good on its promise.
Rene Astudillo is executive director of the Asian American Journalists Association and a member of the LGBT Advisory Committee of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.