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China's press freedoms extended
BBC News web site
DATELINE: 20/10/08
China has extended some of the rules that gave foreign reporters greater freedom during the Beijing Olympics reports the BBC News web site on 18 October.
State news agency Xinhua said the temporary arrangement for the games, due to expire on Friday, would become standard practice.
China has extended some of the rules that gave foreign reporters greater freedom during the Beijing Olympics reports the BBC News web site on 18 October.
State news agency Xinhua said the temporary arrangement for the games, due to expire on Friday, would become standard practice.
It means journalists can continue to conduct interviews without applying to the authorities for permission.
The move has been welcomed by the main organisation representing overseas media in China.
"If properly implemented, we believe this will mark a step forward in the opening of China's media environment," said Jonathan Watts, president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.
The club called on the authorities to make sure police and local officials respected the freedoms.
Correspondents say the move to extend the more liberal rules has been eagerly awaited and is a sign of China's commitment to allow foreign journalists more freedom to report on a permanent basis.
But it is not clear whether other measures will remain in place, such as those which allowed journalists to travel freely around the country without the supervision of a foreign ministry official.
Restrictions remain
Despite repeated questions from foreign journalists about the issue, China had not until now said what would happen after the rules expire.
They were introduced in January last year and covered foreign journalists who wanted to report on Olympic-related issues.
The rules allow correspondents to travel around China without first getting permission from the authorities - as they had to do previously.
"To interview organisations or individuals in China, foreign journalists need only to obtain their prior consent," the regulations state.
The BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing believes that in practice foreign reporters have had more freedom to do their work, but have not been completely left alone by the authorities, says the BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing.
Certain sensitive areas, such as Tibet, were off limits, and correspondents have continued to be detained by the authorities.
There have also been hundreds of reports of foreign journalists being intimidated or harassed by officials who were either not aware of the rules or chose to ignore them.
The BBC's China Editor, Shirong Chen, says China's leaders are aware that they need foreign journalists in order to communicate with the international community but that ensuring real freedoms on the ground will remain a challenge.
Significantly, the regulations do not apply to Chinese journalists, who will continue to face a high degree of control and censorship by the Chinese government.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7675306.stmPublished: 2008/10/18 04:16:35 GMT
Last modified: Monday, November 3, 2008
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Notices
Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
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Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
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