Introduction
In
1896, the organizers of the Olympics had to beg the media to come and cover the
event. The journalist had to be treated to a banquet as honored guests. By
1996, the tables had turned as media lined up to pay close to 900 million
dollars to be allowed to cover the event. Conventionally, media and Olympics
have been viewed by many experts as two organizations that share a symbiotic
relationship.
The
relationship has developed over time to be very complex as the Olympics have
grown larger with time. When the Olympics were going to Beijing, it was a
unique chance for media houses to show their might through innovative coverage
of the event. The western Media joined the rest of the world in covering the
event not only for the Beijing locals who preferred following the proceedings
from their houses but for the international viewership that were unable to meet
the logistical challenges to be physically in the Olympics.
China
is both a promising and baffling market for the media. Just the same way the
government rigorously regulates the banking sector; the media is closely
monitored or even controlled by the government. This notwithstanding, the local
media have thrived mainly due to the ready market that China offers. The
government came up with a legislation in 2001 that was geared at regulating the
media practices. Many external observers viewed this as a way of making the
third estate a toothless dog.[ii]
The
Chinese government knows well the impact of the media and they are not too
willing to make the media enjoy the freedom that the west allows its media to
enjoy. This may explain why the government produces over 1,500 “sponsored”
magazines for the government. The international media that broadcast in the
country like CNN have to be subjected to thorough scrutiny that some people
think that the editors have no control to what they broadcast.[iii]
However,
as the times elapses, it is becoming apparent that the western media is
continuing to influence the local media to a great extent. In fact, observers
believe that the Chinese media is constantly trying to ape western media like
ANC or CNN. The internet has been one of the greate3st pushers for reform since
it is not that easy to have regulation on the internet content viewed by the
millions of people in China. The dilemma that the leadership of China has is
that it wants to have a very robust Media to help check the government and
public yet it is afraid of the potential for inflammatory coverage that could
easily incite the public.[iv]
Media
has been known to take advantage of any opportunity to make their opinion on
other sideshow issues. For instance, the Beijing Olympics was the main reason
why the international media congregated in Beijing. But coverage of the games
was not the only thing that was on the minds of the media houses. The culture o
the Chinese was broadcast to billions of people the world over. Investigation
into the rich heritage and history of the Chinese was unearthed. The beautiful
mountains, rivers and other physical scenery were captured. The cuisine of the
Chinese was sampled by many a reported as the viewers salivated thousands of
miles away which inspired in them a desire to visit China. The western media
can be commended for using the Olympics to boost the tourism sector of china.
However,
the absolute freedom that the western media is used did not go too well with
some of the officials. The media was accused of meddling with the government
instead of concentrating on what exactly took them to Beijing. The press had taken some time to cover
stories that outlined the political landscape of China.
China
has one official TV network (CCTV) which is viewed as the most important TV
station in China. The station has sixteen other television channels that reach
most of the homesteads. However, even though it is the most powerful station in
China, it is interesting to note that only thirty percent of the population
actually watches the programming. This again, is thanks to the western media.
One measure that was taken by the government to try to salvage the situation
was a ban of foreign animation programming between five o’clock on the evening
and eight o’clock in the evening to try and boost their local content.[v]
Negative
Effects of Western Media
while
the Olympics was an event that was welcomed to Beijing by everybody in government as it would boost
their trade to a great extent, the government was weary of the influence that
the foreign media would inevitably have on the local people especially those
that were literate. The learned class in mainland China has continuously pushed
for a freer media citing the west as their reference. Terms that have been used
by those pushing for reform include media freedom, Political pluralism and
freedom of speech. To help fuel the discussion is the new breed of journalists who acquired their degrees In
journalism in the west and their interaction with the media of the west makes
them feel there is a lot to be desired back home.
When
the western media pitched camp in Beijing for a good number of weeks, it gave
the people with the reformist agendas even more meat to bite. It is believed
that most of the locals preferred watching the western media coverage of the
Olympics as they thought that the western media had more comprehensive coverage
of the entire event. Furthermore, they were assured of being told the truth
unlike watching the state controlled media houses.
Traditionally,
Media has been seen as the third estate as a result of the four main functions
that it has. The media is expected to inform, to persuade, to entertain, and to
educate. A line that has not been very well established is the line between the
informing and the entertainment especially when the event in question is
something like the Beijing Olympics. The result is that journalists resort to
the myth making approach so as to come up with a story that is unique from what
the rest are covering. One of the negative impacts of this is the “problematizing
of the Olympics”.[vi]
When,
simple incident like a lady’s hand bag being snatched just as she tries to make
entrance into the stadium happens, a curious journalist can easily blow it out
of proportion in a story aimed at establishing whether the Olympic Games had
enough security for the people that were in attendance. The concept of bad news
selling more than good news doesn’t help either. If the journalist lacks some
bad news in the stadium, he goes combing the city to find some bad news and as
was the case in china during the Olympics, there was too much digging to be
done.
Many
times, this myth making approach of journalism make the journalist who is eager
to make a juicy report come up with a myth that is not factual and one that
sheds the host in bad light. This was the case when hordes of media houses
expressed their concerns right form the onset that China’s contractor was going
to slow in preparing the “bird” stadium which was to be one of the most
important venues of the Olympics. Would the contractor finish the job in good
time? Would the job be well done or will it be done in a hurry thereby
resulting in a shoddily done stadium? What about the transportation system of
the country? Would it be reliable to take people to and fro from their hotels
to the stadium and back? And the
hotels…were the accommodation good? And was it sufficient? This are some of the
rhetorical questions that were raised especially be the western media prior to
the Olympics.
While
it may be argued that they were important sentiments to put the entire event in
perspective, it can also be seen as negative reporting, a view that the Chinese
government had concerning the western media. When the Olympics finally kicked
off, the journalist had his antenna high to catch wind of any sideshow that
could make a good story. When there was a shooting, everybody temporarily
forgot about the Olympics. The different reports were doing their different
analysis of the incident. While a couple showed that it was just one of those
incidents that could be isolated, many raised the question whether security was
sufficient for the fans. It is a question that probably made some people to decide
otherwise about going to the games to watch the games live.
Positive
Effects of Western Media
The presence of western media in the
Beijing Olympics had a hugely desirable effect on mainland china. One of the
most important of the impacts of western journalism is that China was showcased
to the rest of the world. Most of the stations Like CNN and ABC were being
received via satellite and via internet streaming not only in America but
almost on every part of the globe. This is a feat that could not be attained by
the state owned CCTV. By so doing, the media helped open up the country for
future tourism. Many people the world over that probably had not seen China
before now had a rough idea of the experience that China offers to her
visitors. IN fact, it is reporters that tourism went a notch higher following the
Beijing Olympics. The culture of the Chinese was short in documentaries and
relayed on the different channels and this helped boost the tourism sector.
The western media made use of
sophisticated equipment to cover the Olympics. Satellite pictures were used to
capture the athletes at angles that the normal camera would not manage to.
Analysis of the ratings and scores was done by use of advanced information
systems that not only employed techniques of manipulating the data graphically
but they used recent technologies like touch screen interfaces to make the
analysis in real time and captivating to the viewer. This helped the local
media houses of China to learn a few things about integration of ICTs in media
production.
The western media and indeed the other
international media covered the events live from the stadia. Due to the
satellite imaging and the powerful equipment that media houses like ABC used in
the coverage of the event, it became even more exciting to follow the events
form the comfort of ones living room rather than going to the overcrowded
stadium. In fact, there were some foreigners who came all the way to Beijing
for the Olympics only to remain in their hotel rooms to follow up on their
television screens.
This live coverage was important for
China. Being an industrial nation, there were many people who had no chance to
attend the event as they had to be on duty. However, they were able to follow
up on the proceedings during the coffee breaks and the lunch breaks. The
screens that are used for advertisement in the city’s streets become broadcast
areas for the pedestrian to catch a glimpse of the happening at the stadium as
they shuffled past headed to their work places.
The western media helped a great
deal in making the Beijing Olympics an international affair. Many people
receive the signal of CNN, ABC, FOX and other eminent media houses via cable,
internet or satellite from all over the world. Even though it might have been
logistically impossible for many people to attend the Olympics in person,
watching the games live from their television sets made the different people
feel part of the event that was happening in Beijing.
The overall effect of the presence
of the western media can be seen as the Shanghai media owners went into an ambitious
exercise to reorganize their media both print and electronic. Although it is
not clear what informed the decision; it can safely be assumed that it was the
impact of the western media that had revealed its might during he games. Unlike
Beijing, Shangai is more receptive to the influences of the west in the
different aspects of life as can be seen not only in the wide use of the
English language, the widespread presence of MacDonald’s fast food outlets as
well as diverse western related cultures. The deputy director of Shangai press,
Mr. Zhu, is on record saying that the restructuring of the media would include
investing more in coverage of news events in the print as well as the
electronic media.
Analysis of the
Coverage
As early as
1932, Olympics had become one of the most desirable events to cover. A recent
poll done by the New York Times on the news reporters and columnists preferences
revealed that over fifty six percent of the reporters would prefer to cover the
Olympics as opposed to any other sporting event on the sporting calendar of
that year.[vii]
That would explain the avalanche of media witnessed in Beijing. The different
media houses that were present to cover the event like FOX, CNN and ABC were
clearly not going to take money down the drain. The analysis of the games was
timely and comprehensive and it gave the viewer the feeling that he had been in
the stadium the whole day.
Mackenzie Frost, an Alabaman dweller
is a lover of athletics but he could not afford to travel especially in light of
the recent economic down turn of the American economy. He had been saving to go
to the Olympics in person but had to change his mind since he needed to attend
to more pressing billings. He was left with the option of following up the
proceeding from his television. “I loved the coverage by ABC and CNN.” He said. “The whole time, I dint feel like I
missed the Olympics. It was like I was there the whole time.”[viii]
Frost speaks for many other fans that
enjoyed the coverage from their respective countries. But perhaps the most
interesting account is that of Mike, who had gone to Beijing to attend the
Olympics in person. He was preparing to leave his hotel room when the
commentator of the ongoing events comes on the channel he was watching. He sat
down to watch and be fore he knew it; he had spent the entire time in his hotel
room watching TV! When asked why, he says that while the stadium experience
could not be equaled due to the energy that comes from the fans that have come
for the event, the analysis that the media gives during the live presentation
were so informative. This kind of analysis can not be gotten in the stadium as
all that interests the fan in the stadium is the excitement elicited by the
feats of the athletes.
Different
media houses made use of sophisticated equipment in the coverage of the Beijing
Olympics. Satellite pictures were used to capture the athletes at angles that
the normal camera would not manage to. Analysis of the ratings and scores was
done by use of advanced information systems that not only employed techniques
of manipulating the data graphically but they used recent technologies like
touch screen interfaces to make the analysis in real time and captivating to
the viewer.
The
importance of the internet in the covering of the events can not be ignored. It
is recorders that over 250 million people in china use the internet. This in
mind, the media houses were well aware that a vast majority of the viewers that
they would reach would be via internet. The IOC had previously tested a “Video
on Demand” protocol during the 1998 Nagano Games. The protocol was designed to
allow the users to access broadcast footage of sports over the internet.
However, the system was not put to use in the following year’s Olympics.
Riding
on this system, some of the media like CNN allowed the users to access the
footage from their official website. The
website also allowed the different users to also post footage in a social
environment where pictures and video recordings of the fans were also posted
and different users analyzed the footage and the images that had been shared by
the different fans. This interactive experience attracted many users to the
website as their preferred option to follow up on the events that were
happening at the stadium.[ix]
The Contrasts
As early as a hundred days before
the Olympics kicked off, a couple of the western media correspondents were
weary for their lives had been threatened. Even though legislation aimed at
making the foreign journalists do their work without the interference of
government had been introduced in 2007, the Foreign Correspondents Club of
China (FCCC) reported many incidents of journalist who were prevented from
carrying on wit h scheduled interviews. Some were detained and their equipment
taken away from them Most of these victims were subjected to all forms of
inhumane treatment. It is interesting to note only international journalists
were targeted while the local journalist continued with business as usual.
Just one day into the Olympics,
there was a murder of an American in Beijing. Bachmann Todd was the father-in-law
to the coach of the men’s volley ball team.
Needless to say, the story was the lead story for CNN, FOX, ABC and most
of the other international media including BBC. The different journalists
engaged in detailed investigative journalism to try and unearth not only the
timeline of the death but the circumstances that led to his murder. For the
entire of the second day of the Beijing Olympics, the games were downplayed by
most of the western media in light of the murder report.
While
this was unfolding, the Chinese media remained conspicuously dumb one the
subject. As Bandurski observed, there was no newspaper
that carried the story and only the online users of the vast population in
china had the chance to come across the story. The QQ which is China’a largest
portal, which was possibly the only website with the story, didn’t think it was
a big story and they only provided a link to the story that was hidden in the
cluster of some “more important” stories. It appears that the Chinese media had
been ordered to highlight only the positive stories of the Olympics so as not
to ruin China’a moment of glory with bad news.[x]
Conclusion
From
time immemorial, the Olympics and the media have shared a symbiotic
relationship. This relationship was put to test in the Beijing Olympics due to
the stringent government regulation of the media. The Chinese government is
eager to have a free media but at the same time, the government is afraid of
the negative impact that a free media could have. While the media in China has
not been entirely gagged by the government, it still remains a long way to go
in comparison to the autonomy enjoyed by the western media.
Western
media has been shaping the Chinese media whether either directly or
indirectly. Most of the local Chinese
stations are reportedly trying to ape the turned that have been set out by such
stations like CNN and ABC. The influence of the west is further felt in the
fact that most of the new generation journalists working in china received
their college education in America where they experienced a free media
environment.[xi]
This fired up in them a desire to go back home and champion change in the media
environment.
The
presence of the western media during the recent Olympics has gone a long way in
helping the Chinese media adopt the reforms that they need. One of the most
evident impacts is the changes that were effected by the Shaghai press after
the Olympics as they realized the importance of spending more resources on
sports coverage. The western media also helped to open up the mainland china
for tourism as they showcased the beautiful natural attractions as well as the
different rich cultural heritages of the Chinese people. However, the western
media was largely condemned for meddling in the affairs of the government by
reporting on some issues like political governance structures when t hey were
supposed to be covering the Olympics.
[i] Parente,
Donald. “The Interdependence of Sports and Television.” Journal of
Communication 27 (Summer 1977):37-54.
[ii] Liebman,
Benjamin. “Watchdog or Demagogue? The Media in the Chinese Legal System.” Columbia
Law Review 105 (Spring 2005):1-157.
[iii]
Benjamin,
99.
[iv] Benjamin,
99
[v] McDonald,
Joe. “China Bans ’Simpsons’ From Prime-Time TV.” Associated Press. 13 August, 2006, 23.
[vi] Verdier,
Michael. “The IOC and the Press.” Olympic Review 25 (Summer 1996):
66-69.
[vii] Dempsey,
Schmeling. “Olympics Lead in Appeal for Sports Experts Choice.” New York Times, 22 January,
1999, p. 23.
[viii] Parente,
50
[ix] International
Olympic Committee. Olympic Broadcast Analysis Report: Centennial Olympic Games 1998 . Lausanne: International
Olympic Committee, 1999.
[x] Bandurski David. Beijing 2008: China’s media win gold for downplaying negative news. China Media Project. http://cmp.hku.hk/2008/08/12/1158/ (Retrieved 25th Nov. 2010)
[xi]
Yuezhi, Zhu. Media, Market, and Democracy
in China. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2007.
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