Olympics 2008

[JWBear]

If athletes collapse during the track and field events due to air pollution, will the Chinese allow those images out?

[Tenigma]

Originally Posted by JWBear

If athletes collapse during the track and field events due to air pollution, will the Chinese allow those images out?

Hmmm... kind of a take on "if a tree falls in the woods"... nobody will hear it fall because that information will be censored!

[Stan4dSteph]

Sky News had a piece on yesterday about people who were in Beijing from outlying areas to protest various grievances (corrupt officials etc.). Within minutes of the camera crew arriving there to film, the police were on scene, demanded the journalists' credentials, and took detailed notes about their reporting. Then the police started to drive away with the documents still in hand.

There are "official protest zones" but they're empty because everyone has already been rounded up.

I also saw a report on a whole group of people who were kicked out of their homes so that the government could build a new shopping area for the Olympics.

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by JWBear

If athletes collapse during the track and field events due to air pollution, will the Chinese allow those images out?

Unless they ban camera phones and block cellular service from the venue.

Wasn't Tienemin Square footage shot by a civilian or the foreign media who got the video out before the police showed up?

The first hand reports after it's over will be interesting. The Chinese can do their best to control what happens during the games, but once the athletes and press are back in their own countries (especially the ones with free speech...) they can't stop it.