The Chinese government introduced special regulations ahead of the Beijing Olympics which allowed foreign journalists greater freedom to interview subjects and carry out their work. The regulations have allowed limited improvements in media freedom in China, even though they have been widely breached by government and security officials. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) has documented more than 336 cases of interference in media reporting since the regulations came into force.
But with the regulations due to expire at the end of this week Steve talks to David Bandurski, journalist and researcher at Hong Kong University’s China Media Project, about what difference they have made to the stories coming out of China and whether there is any possibility of them being extended. [Link to full radio program here]