Winter Olympics on social media + Reporters without borders + Nvidia

The Olympics and media always went hand in hand. This was already the case at the very first Olympics of the modern era in 1906 when correspondents telegraphed the results and their impressions to the world. Even back then, it made little sense to hold a global sporting event only for local spectators. And the media always reported a lot about the host country: About the party atmosphere in Athens and the nightly torchlight processions, but also about the organizational chaos. Back in 1924, there were already 1,000 journalists on-site in Paris.

Since then, media coverage of the host country has become a key motivation for hosting the expensive Games. In 2008, this strategy worked out well for China: The image of the emerging superpower ended up with a big boost. This year, on the other hand, it looks like China’s public image might take a big hit instead – at least in parts of the world like Europe and the USA, where human rights issues play a role.

Therefore, the Chinese government is currently trying everything in its power to control media coverage. Since it has little influence over classic media of democratic countries, it is instead evading them as much as possible. For example, the state propaganda factory produces videos that show a serene Xinjiang. And that is not all, even US media personalities are being paid to cheer for the 2022 Olympics, as Fabian Peltsch reports today. That’s perfectly legal, of course. But it shows how the structures of an open society can be hijacked from the outside.

Tomorrow, on Friday, the Games will officially kick off and will be held until February 20. This time, 3,000 journalists have been accredited for the event. Marcel Grzanna has taken a look at the advice the organization Reporters Without Borders is giving journalists along the way. Here, too, it is about controlling the perception of the country. TV stations should not broadcast pre-recorded images from China and instead use their own footage, whenever possible. And reporters should distinguish between the party, the people and the nation. The CP does not necessarily represent the entire population, and “China” is not necessarily identical to the communists’ vision of their country.

The Olympic Charter even predates the 1924 Olympics in Paris. The Olympics are based on a philosophy that calls for the self-improvement of people and society. It is true that they have always taken place in countries with all kinds of constitutions and forms of government. But it is China’s brazen propaganda of an ideal world that is provoking an allergic reaction in the free world today. If China were just a little more transparent, open, and honest, at least like it was in 2008, the backlash would not be as strong.

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Finn Mayer-Kuckuk