|
By Ren Fang, Xinhua
Beijing: Never before has Beijing accommodated
so many overseas journalists. Global media, by sending the largest
number of journalists ever to an Olympiad, displayed their passion
and curiosity to scrutinize this ancient metropolis.
The New York Times launched a blog named
“Rings” that specialized on the Olympic Games, aiming to offer a
platform for free discussions concerning various aspects of China.
The well-respected daily was reported to have sent over 30 reporters
to cover next month’s Olympics.
The 60th anniversary Reith Lectures of the
British Broadcasting Company (BBC), given by Professor Jonathan
Spence, seen as one of the world’s greatest historians on Chinese
history, took China as their subject. The topics ranged from
Confucian ways in the country 2,500 years ago, to Sino-British ties
in the past 300 years, to local people’s attitude toward the
Olympics.
Large amount of overseas Internet media,
including visual ones, made their fresh presence in the field that
was formerly occupied by TV and newspapers.
Official figures showed about 27,000 staff from
domestic and overseas media registered to cover the August 8 to
August 24 Beijing Olympics, the largest among all past Games.
“The reporters come here not only to cover the
activities within the gymnasium and stadium, but also to learn about
the people, the economy and the nation,” said Zhai Huisheng,
director of the Beijing International Media Center (BIMC), which
will serve more than 5,000 non-accredited reporters during the
Games.
BIMC, together with the Main Press Center and
International Broadcasting Center, started their media service
earlier this month.
So far more than 20 press conferences, including
one on July 17 where the National Bureau of Statistics released data
about the Chinese economy in the first half of 2008, have been held
in the media centers. Spokespersons were waiting to answer questions
all day long during working hours.
“BIMC is consulting with the central bank, and
the watchdogs of commercial banks and the security market, to ask
them to hold press conferences on economy and finance,” Zhai told
Xinhua in an interview.
He said that while the BIMC would make every
effort to satisfy the reporters’ curiosity on hot topics such as
the country’s stock market and real estate sector, relevant
departments may decline to speak in the BIMC.
The efforts made by the BIMC include giving the
telephone numbers of the 78 departments of the Chinese government on
the front page of the BIMC official website, and pamphlets carrying
routes to news-value sites and events across the nation.
Although the Games is still more than 10 days
away, the media campaign is warming up. News coverage has extended
from Tian’anmen Square at the center of Beijing to the corners of
small streets.
Britain’s Times newspaper carried a long lead
story entitled “Welcome to the city of clean streets and filthy
air” on July 24, telling of the writer’s day of travel in
Beijing with a friend.
“We have more or less mastered a public
transport system that is cheap, clean and efficient. Except for a
single taxi driver and a few officials, everyone has been charming.
We have not been hassled, and only mildly cheated. In no other city
have we felt as safe, even from pickpockets. We saw no drunks, no
louts and hardly anyone spitting,” the story said.
“But neither,” it continues, “could we see
the countless shops and shacks that have been demolished, or the
thousands of street vendors and migrant workers who have been driven
out so that Beijing can present its prettiest face to the world.”
|
