As 20,000 thousand foreign journalists descend on Bejing for the 2010 Olympics, China's officials have announced that they will not be given full access to the internet during their stay.
The BBC reports that journalists will be subjected to China's usual practice of censoring web access. The sites currently in the spotlight include those about spiritual movement, Falun Gong, those relating to human rights issues and other unspecified sites.
The decision to award China these games has already caused much controversy, highlighted by recent protests surrounding the Olympic torch.
The move has been met with disappointment because China's bid for the games stated that journalists would be free to report. A spokesman for the Olympic organising committee is quoted on the BBC News website as saying: "During the Olympic Games we will provide reporters with sufficient and convenient internet access so the Olympic Games will not be affected." I suspect the journalists are more concerned about their reporting being affected, rather than the actual games.
But is it China's right to block sites which give the country a negative image while it hosts thousand of international visitors, or should they be given free and uncensored access to the web? Maybe it's all in vain anyway, all it takes is a phone call to the office back in the UK and a quick Google search to still find what they need.
However it does beg the question, what did we do before the internet was invented??
Helen
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