Foreign press gets a little help for Olympic coverage

To help foreign media confront the challenges posed by covering the Beijing Olympics, the International Federation of Journalists has teamed up with Play the Game, a non-profit democracy advocacy organization working in global athletic coverage, to produce a series of helpful tools for reporters on a new website — Play the Game for Open Journalism. The aids include an online discussion forum and a series of background and tips for reporting in China. Most impressive, Play the Game will staff a helpline with experienced Sino-journalists this summer, providing advice on everything from how to get access to events to legal rights and harassment support. Play the Game for Open Journalism states that Olympic coverage is a golden opportunity both for the world to get a comprehensive look at the PRC, and for the PRC to learn to open its own media channels:

For foreign journalists, the Beijing Olympics will be a chance to demonstrate the true standards and social value of the profession they pursue and play a part in the long term progression of Chinese news media. In support of their Chinese colleagues, who do not enjoy the same full media freedom rights, journalists from abroad must strive to maintain journalistic principles of fairness, independence, honesty and responsibility.