'Classified Memo Reveals Government Strategy for ‘Managing’ Foreign Journalists
By Reporters Without Borders.
By Reporters Without Borders.
Reporters Without Borders has obtained a classified memo from Chinese sources that sets out the behaviour that government officials should adopt with foreign journalists before and during the Beijing Olympic Games. It tells them to display openness but also to try to control and influence the international media’s coverage.
“While introducing more flexible rules for foreign journalists in January 2007, the Chinese authorities also established a nationwide policy for supervising and influencing the international media,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Parts of this classified memo show there is a real concern to provide better information to foreign journalists, but it also reveals that the authorities never abandoned their intention to censor the news.”
The press freedom organisation added: “While the Olympic flame is on its way to Beijing, we call on the International Olympic Committee to condemn any attempt by the Chinese authorities to obstruct the work of foreign journalists. The practices revealed by this document contradict the Chinese government’s undertaking in 2001 to allow complete press freedom.”
Dating from 2007 and entitled “Working recommendations for reinforcing management efficiency after the ’Rules for interviews by foreign journalists during the Beijing Olympic Games and their preparatory period’ take effect,” the memo obtained by Reporters Without Borders consists of instructions from the national authorities to those in charge of a province (including the local propaganda department and public security) on how to handle public relations and control press coverage.
The introduction explains that the aim of the recommendations is to respond to China’s needs during the holding of the Olympic Games. The public relations plan has six parts: creating an interview strategy, improving the news release system, building a propaganda system for foreign media, creating positive opinion online, controlling opinion in a crisis and training officials in public relations.
The plan has positive elements such as training officials and holding news conferences for foreign journalists, but it also entails serious obstructions to the free flow of news and information.
The memo also confirms that the authorities have an active policy towards online information content. It asks the provincial officials to “reinforce the work of commenting on the Internet and increase the level of opinion orientation on the Internet.”
In line with the crisis management law adopted in 2007, the provincial officials are also ordered to “influence coverage” on public emergencies and crises. And they are told in general that “positive propaganda must be reinforced” with a view to catching the attention of foreign journalists.
The government’s aggressive campaigns against foreign journalists and its accusations of foreign media bias are also unacceptable at a time when tens of thousands of journalists are preparing to come to China in the next few months to cover the Olympic Games.
Here is the China Memo in english.'
“While introducing more flexible rules for foreign journalists in January 2007, the Chinese authorities also established a nationwide policy for supervising and influencing the international media,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Parts of this classified memo show there is a real concern to provide better information to foreign journalists, but it also reveals that the authorities never abandoned their intention to censor the news.”
The press freedom organisation added: “While the Olympic flame is on its way to Beijing, we call on the International Olympic Committee to condemn any attempt by the Chinese authorities to obstruct the work of foreign journalists. The practices revealed by this document contradict the Chinese government’s undertaking in 2001 to allow complete press freedom.”
Dating from 2007 and entitled “Working recommendations for reinforcing management efficiency after the ’Rules for interviews by foreign journalists during the Beijing Olympic Games and their preparatory period’ take effect,” the memo obtained by Reporters Without Borders consists of instructions from the national authorities to those in charge of a province (including the local propaganda department and public security) on how to handle public relations and control press coverage.
The introduction explains that the aim of the recommendations is to respond to China’s needs during the holding of the Olympic Games. The public relations plan has six parts: creating an interview strategy, improving the news release system, building a propaganda system for foreign media, creating positive opinion online, controlling opinion in a crisis and training officials in public relations.
The plan has positive elements such as training officials and holding news conferences for foreign journalists, but it also entails serious obstructions to the free flow of news and information.
The memo also confirms that the authorities have an active policy towards online information content. It asks the provincial officials to “reinforce the work of commenting on the Internet and increase the level of opinion orientation on the Internet.”
In line with the crisis management law adopted in 2007, the provincial officials are also ordered to “influence coverage” on public emergencies and crises. And they are told in general that “positive propaganda must be reinforced” with a view to catching the attention of foreign journalists.
The government’s aggressive campaigns against foreign journalists and its accusations of foreign media bias are also unacceptable at a time when tens of thousands of journalists are preparing to come to China in the next few months to cover the Olympic Games.
Here is the China Memo in english.'
1 opmerking:
Dion Nisselbaum is verslaggever in Jeruzalem. Eerder zat hij in Irak, eerst embedded bij de Amerikaanse mariniers, en later als onafhankelijk journalist. Op zijn weblog (dus niet ‘officieel’ in de krant) citeert hij een memorandum van het Israëlische leger, dat hij als journalist ontvangen heeft, met regels waaraan hij zich als verslaggever moet houden:
1. Real-time reports on the exact locations of rocket hits are strictly prohibited. Reports, on delayed-time, of exact locations must always be approved by the IDF Censor.
2. The IDF Censor will not authorize reports of rocket hits at IDF bases and/or strategic installations.
3. The IDF Censor will not authorize reporting on rockets that fell into the Mediterranean Sea.
4. The IDF Censor will not authorize photographs of rockets with identifying marks.
5. The IDF Censor will not authorize reports regarding visits by senior Israel Government officials and IDF officer in southern Israel.
6. The IDF Censor will not authorize information on exploded terrorist ordinance or any other malfunctioning ordinance.
7. Panoramic, wide-angle, etc. photographs of rocket hits are strictly prohibited.
Please ensure that all staff members are aware of the foregoing.
The foregoing does not obviate the obligation to submit to the IDF Censor – prior to publication – of any news item regarding rocket hits or any other subject that must be approved by the IDF Censor.
Nu weet u het. Dit memorandum ontvangen Nederlandse correspondenten in Israël ook. Maar dat kun je nergens lezen.
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