Blogging the Olympics--sort of

by KevinK on Feb 17, 2008 10:12 AM EST Comment 11 comments

Cue the fanfare music... Dim the stadium lights. Ok, ok, launch the doves, LAUNCH THE DOVES! Cue the interpretive dancers... Bring out the elderly 15th duchess of Craptenstein. The IOC has an announcement to make.

From: Linky here

In a series of guidelines, the IOC said blogging would be allowed during the Beijing 2008 Olympics as long as individuals writing the journals keep within the IOC format.

"The IOC considers blogging... as a legitimate form of personal expression and not a form of journalism," the IOC said.

Blogging is only "personal expression", which can be squashed to stroke corporate overlords, and placate communist dictators.

[editor's note, by chris] Anyone going to Beijing? The Cafe is HUGE in China. Also, contact me and I'll help find some anti-CCP websites you should be sure to access while on premises.

Update [2008-2-17 12:16:58 by chris]: Does anyone else think this is a ploy by the locals to control content? "Here, use our T1 line. Oh, and if the cursor starts moving when you're not touching anything, don't worry, it's nothing."

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I hate the word "irony"

I really do. But I just came to this thread directly from dkos' post, "Are Blogs Becoming Respectable And Legitimate?"

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/17/72750/1129/228/458441

by ursula on Feb 17, 2008 11:31 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

The more I read about this

the more I want to gag.

I think I can boil my feelings down to "Fuck the Olympics".

Here's an article about New Zealand's Olympic Committee having athletes sign a contract that:

"included a clause which prevents athletes from making any statements about the Chinese political regime"

-K-

by KevinK on Feb 17, 2008 12:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Even the UCI

knows more about PR than the CCP. Xenophobia anyone? The real world equivalent is:

Random guy: Nobody is allowed to say that I have a small penis!

Everyone else: Um, you do?

by Chris... on Feb 17, 2008 12:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Of course, some countries

are trying to do the Chinese' job for them. Like, say, the UK - all of their athletes' contracts stipulate no political/offensive speech. Nice, eh?

by Sui Juris on Feb 17, 2008 12:51 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

err

what Kevin said.

by Sui Juris on Feb 17, 2008 12:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Middle Kingdom

Its hard for the leaders of the Middle Kingdom to recognize that others might have useful input. So what if Europeans had most of the world's power for the last couple of centuries? That was just a blip in world history, like a recession and just as ephemeral, and is being corrected as we speak.

by ursula on Feb 17, 2008 1:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Seattle

is the new Middle Kingdom.

by Chris... on Feb 17, 2008 9:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ha!

Seattle is part of a small province across the sea that hopes the Center is interested in their products. Seattle is a branch town of the main eastern Pacific outposts of Vancouver and San Francisco, undeserving even of a consulate.

Now Portland... does China even know Portland exists? Kinda doubt it.

lol

by ursula on Feb 17, 2008 9:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Probably not

Everything I ever got in Portland was made in Oregon. Even the soy sauce.

by Chris... on Feb 18, 2008 11:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The suspect these Olympics will be a

clusterfsck of epic proportions (and, having lived squarely within the Atlanta Olympic zone in 96, I'd like to think I know a little bit about these things . . . ). Olympics never go as planned, and Beijing isn't exactly known for its flexibility.

Of course, I'd still love to go be there. Hate the Olympics(TM), but love the Olympics.

Speaking of the Great Firewall, isn't one of us behind it? I think PC needs a Beijing 08 correspondent.

by Sui Juris on Feb 17, 2008 2:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This is all about $$$

From that Reuters article:

Bloggers during the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics are banned from posting any Olympic Games visual or audio material and any confidential information on third parties.

Athletes or officials who blog can only post still pictures taken outside accredited areas or their own pictures taken within these areas that do not contain any sporting action.

The IOC is eager to protect rights holders as Games broadcasting contracts are worth several billion euros.

The IOC is certainly kowtowing to the repressive regime in Beijing, but they kowtow even more to NBC and the other companies that rain money on the IOC.

In the U.S., the NCAA started cracking down last year on blogging at NCAA championship events. It has become popular for bloggers to "live blog" during college football, basketball, baseball and other games just like the regulars do here. The NCAA has taken the position that live-blogging is the equivalent of live commentary that infringes on the exclusive rights of the broadcast company that holds the rights for that event. During last year's college baseball playoffs, the NCAA revoked tickets and/or press credentials for a few bloggers and told several others to stop using their laptops until after the game was over.

by socal on Feb 17, 2008 2:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs