China: Olympic PR

Imagethief said China has failed in the Olympic PR test by detaining journalists in a protest event.

8 comments

  • Charles Liu

    Lam, take a closer look. Those people are not “journalists”. They are political operatives sponsored by the US government.

    RSF’s status as a quasi-government organization, and its linkage to the NED/CIA is well known. Here’s an expose from US peace activist group Counter Punch:

    http://www.counterpunch.org/barahona05172005.html

    And everybody knows NED is overtly doing what the CIA used to do covertly:

    http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Reporters_without_Borders

    “Robert Menard, the Secretary General of RSF, was forced to confess that RSF’s budget was primarily provided by “US organizations strictly linked with US foreign policy” (Thibodeau, La Presse).”

    Here’s another one from CounterPunch on RSF’s association with NED/CIA:

    http://www.counterpunch.com/barahona08012006.html

    “[RSF] and its friends in Washington have gone to extraordinary lengths to cover it up. In spite of 14 months of stonewalling by the National Endowment for Democracy over a Freedom of Information Act request and a flat denial from RSF executive director Lucie Morillon, the NED has revealed that Reporters Without Borders received grants over at least three years from the International Republican Institute”

  • even if they are “political operatives”, when people are doing public protest, arrest action cannot be justified. and the very action of arrest, falls into the trap of the plan. that’s why imagethief said that the PR had failed.

  • Charles Liu

    New/citizen media is not about responsibility and fairness is it? Just look at what you wrote.

    You believe China’s laws on public gathering and peaceful protest can be ignored by foreigners, and the Chinese police have no right, under their country laws, to enforce law and order in their own land?

    What exactely did they teach you about “extraterritriality” under British rule?

    Anti-war protests in Washinton DC, USA, also must obey the laws, those who protest without permit and at the wrong place are arrest.

    It is not wrong for China to uphold its laws. Why are you pandering to the West’s anti-China agenda? I already talked to John about this, perhaps you should too.

  • if china / pro-china protesters challenged U.S invasion and intervention in middle east, i would happily join their rallies. for me, i don’t think in term of political or nationalistic clan (i do love chinese people), i have stand in different agendas. the genocide in Darfur is real issue (and China should be giving more pressure to Sudan), the arrest of local journalists is also real issue. i don’t think why people who concern about that can’t bring it out during Olympic if it can make the voice louder.

    i would condemn US government if they arrested peace activists as well, I don’t care whether they are within the U.S law or not. the most important thing is their action won’t hurt any one.

  • charles liu

    Darfur? Do you even know the history of Darfur? Or you just repate whatever we in the West says about it?

    Again, new/citizen media shows its irresponsibility and shallowness. Did you even dig into the history of Sudanese Civil War, which Darfur is part of? I bet you don’t know who John Garang is.

    Please read the article below, maybe you won’t be so quick to blame China, who has done more for Sudan than anyone else in recent years:

    http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/34473.html

    I hope you’ll report this side of the coin now that it’s been revealed to you. Tenents of good jounalism is what? Objectivity, impartiality, fariness.

    How does new/citizen media measure up?

  • charles liu

    I guess you don’t know protest arrest/beating happens in America ALL THE TIME. The FBI even came to my house to intimidate me because I regularily attend anti-war protests.

    Here’s a Google link for you, I hope you’ll do some fundamental research – something that seems to be sorely lacking in new/citizen meida:

    http://www.google.com/search?q=anti+war+protesters+arrested+beaten

    You didn’t even know about RSF’s CIA funding.

  • Does US government’s violence to you justify China government’s violent towards human rights activist like Chen Kuan Cheng?

    I know about CIA bad deeds all over the world, in Asia, the Cold War politics in South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, etc. I have visited these countries and do interviews. My friends and I organized anti-war protest against U.S and Israel last year. Yes, CIA has sowed the seed for conflict (I am a regular Chomsky reader), but does that justify the killing of thousands of civilians by the Sudan government? And as a Chinese, I do hope that our government can do something to the global peace.

    Your anger is justified, however, don’t let your anger twist your judgment of other human being. I hate layouting my stand and experience for entering into conversation. And your anger has made constructive discussion almost impossible.

  • Charles Liu

    Showing the “other side of coin” is not about exhonorating anyone’s bad deeds.

    It is to point out something that is sorely missing in your blog (and a pattern in citizen/new media in general) – lack of perspective.

    Not just hope, you certainly should take pride in the fact the Chinese government has been one of the few countries that have contributed positively towards Darfur.

    From my POV my government has only contributed death and suffering to Sudan. Yet you seem to pander to America’s “hate China” agenda from America.

    As to the tipic of 2008 Olympics protests – both Students for a free Tibet and Reporter Without Border has turned out to be quasi-government organization with US/Canadian connection.

    This compeletely changes the nature of these protests.

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