China Officials Give Up On Censoring World, Settle For Their Own Citizens

In a press conference held by the United States’ men’s volleyball team to discuss the tragic stabbing death of head coach Hugh McCutcheon‘s father-in-law, members of the Chinese media had their notebooks and tape recorders confiscated, Australian newspaper The Age reports. It was an attempt by Beijing officials to prevent the reporters from linking the murder with the Olympics.

Censorship of Chinese media personnel is common practice in the country — “Earlier, reporters covering a small protest in Tiananmen Square by pro-Tibet US Christians were manhandled by plainclothes police who tried to take away microphones and notebooks,” The Age writes — but this was the first time it’s happened at an Olympic venue.

Officials left Beijing Olympic spokesman Sun Weide out to dry: “I am not very clear about the situation you raised. For Chinese journalists, they very much enjoy the rights to cover the Beijing Olympic Games… the rights are protected by the constitution in China.”

Of course they are.

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