Mure Dickie reports from Beijing for The Financial Times (U.K.).
Beijing police briefly detained foreign journalists reporting on an event held by press freedom activists on Monday, underscoring the media management challenge Chinese authorities face ahead of the 2008 Olympics.
The incident, which occurred within sight of the headquarters of the Beijing Olympics organising committee, will arm critics who argue China has failed to meet its 2001 pledge to give international media “complete freedom to report”.
It followed an unauthorised press conference by members of the Reporters Without Borders campaign group, who called for the release of about 100 journalists, online dissidents and free speech activists who are imprisoned in China. After the event, uniformed and plain-clothed police physically prevented foreign journalists from leaving the area, in some cases for more than an hour, according to reporters present.
“If this is going to be the behaviour for the rest of the time until the Olympics, then I think China will be paying a rather high price in terms of its international image,” said Jocelyn Ford, a journalist who was covering the event...
