A new FCCC survey about reporting access to Tibet found 86 percent of respondents said it is not currently possible to report accurately and comprehensively on Tibet. Respondents listed travel restrictions and the reluctance of sources to speak freely as the top reasons.

Among  the 35 applications submitted by survey respondents for independent reporting trips to the Tibet Autonomous Region in the past two years, only four have been approved.

Critics of the international media in China fault alleged superficial reporting about Tibet but, at the same time, reporters are denied opportunities to work unhampered there.

For detailed survey data and journalists’ comments, please read the attached PDF file.

This week, an FCCC member working for German television reported that police in Beijing threatened and intimidated her Chinese assistant after, on her direction, he videotaped at a migrant school slated for demolition. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.

In the latest survey of FCCC members, conducted in May, many correspondents reported their Chinese employees have been coming under increased pressure from the government. Out of the 65 correspodents who replied to a survey question about Chinese news assistants, 37 percent said their Chinese employees had been harassed, pressured or intimated at least once in the past year, while another 12 percent said this had happened three or more times.

We believe that as reporting conditions and regulations in China have continued to improve, so too should the conditions for Chinese citizens working in foreign news bureaus. These employees are important to our work here and their protection is in keeping with accepted international reporting practices.

The FCCC Board

Following the prepared statements, there was no chance for reporters attending the event to ask questions, which would have highlighted what Obama told college students in Shanghai earlier in the week about the benefits to society of freedom of expression.

“This was an historic meeting between the two leaders, and journalists should have had the opportunity to ask questions, to probe beyond the statements,” said FCCC President Scott McDonald.

The FCCC also urges international media organizations attending the World Media Summit in Beijing to press China to keep its word on reporting rights and freedoms for foreign correspondents.

The FCCC still receives regular reports of interference, harassment and violence against journalists as they do their work. Most recently, a lack of transparency interfered with proper planning and coverage of the Oct. 1 National Day parade, with several journalists reporting interference while trying to cover the ceremony.

“President Hu’s comments are a step in the right direction,” said FCCC President Scott McDonald. “But implementation is crucial. It has been far too patchy in the past.”

The FCCC calls for further action to bring China’s laws and regulations into accordance with international norms — notably regarding limits on state secrecy, protection of sources, freedom of expression on the internet and provisions for independent journalists’ organizations.

In the future, for such large events, the FCCC calls on the Chinese authorities to provide better coordination, earlier information and a more transparent allocation of passes, all of which would be in keeping with normal international practices and China’s pledges of openness toward the media.

According to Kyodo, the three journalists were attacked, hit and pushed to the ground on the evening of Sept. 18. Some of their equipment was also damaged.

The three were covering a rehearsal for the Oct. 1 National Day parade, an event carried out on Beijing’s biggest street in front of thousands of people.

In recent weeks, many Beijing-based journalists have been verbally warned by the authorities not to film the preparations or to open windows overlooking the parades. The legal basis for these warnings has not been made clear.

The FCCC calls on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify, in writing, any rules it has regarding coverage of these events.

“This attack is a step backward in China’s efforts to open up the reporting environment. We urge restraint on the part of authorities, who must follow China’s own rules allowing foreign journalists to report freely,” said FCCC President Scott McDonald.

The journalists were reporting on protests when they were tackled by paramilitary police while running to escape tear gas fired to disperse crowds. The journalists said they were punched and kicked by the police, then detained face-down on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs for 15-20 minutes. The journalists repeatedly asked the armed police to check their State Council-issued press ID cards but the requests were ignored.

“I was beaten with a baton on my shoulder and punched and kicked on my knee and lower back,” said Lam Tsz-ho, a reporter with Hong Kong’s TVB. “My cameraman was also beaten all over his body with a baton.”

The journalists were taken to a police station where they were held for two or three hours. The crews eventually had their damaged equipment returned, but one crew’s tape was confiscated and still missing. During the same period, paramilitary police also seized an APTN camera crew’s equipment, returning it five hours later.

The incidents stand in contrast to the relatively open and safe reporting conditions foreign correspondents met while covering Urumqi riots in July.

“The beating and harassing of journalists must stop. The local authorities in Xinjiang must ensure that journalists are able to do their jobs without fear of attacks,” said FCCC President Scott McDonald.

For more details:
http://www.fccchina.org/category/incident-reports/

Also see related statement from the Foreign Correspondents Club, Hong Kong and a letter from the club to the Chinese government.

While foreign correspondents are still denied access to the Tibet Autonomous Region, the FCCC took note of the relatively open reporting environment, with some exceptions, in Urumqi in the wake of the July 5 riots. The Olympic regulations, which were made permanent in October 2008, allow foreign reporters to travel out of Beijing without first seeking permission from local authorities.

FCCC members report increased intimidation of sources and domestic staff, a trend that threatens progress toward greater openness.

“Authorities are using intimidation to silence sources and prevent assistants from doing their jobs. This should be stopped immediately,” said FCCC President Scott McDonald. “We urge China to move closer to the best international practices by introducing legislation that protects sources.”

The FCCC is concerned about authorities’ recent threats to charge Chinese national staff and foreign financial reporters with violating state secrecy laws if they run afoul of certain guidelines on reporting of economic and financial data that are not spelled out clearly.

The FCCC condemns such threats, and urges China to bring its state secrecy laws in line with international practice.

“As China’s economic and financial influence increases, it is crucial for the global economy that China increase transparency and the free and fair flow of financial data,” said McDonald.

The results include:

INCIDENTS INVOLVING CORRESPONDENTS
16 incidents of violence
16 incidents of destruction of photos or other reporting materials
100 incidents of being turned away from public spaces
75 incidents of being followed by authorities
18 incidents of being reprimanded by government authorities

INCIDENTS INVOLVING SOURCES
6 incidents of violence
45 incidents of intimidation
11 incidents of punishment
23 incidents of summoning by authorities for questioning

INCIDENTS INVOLVING ASSISTANTS
1 incident of violence
21 incidents of intimidation
23 incidents of being summoned by authorities for questioning about foreign correspondent

COMMENTS BY CORRESPONDENTS

On Harassment of Sources and Assistants:

“About two weeks after I interviewed a man who was trying to expose shoddy construction of schools that collapsed in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, his wife and daughter had what he believes was a staged car accident. He had previously received death threats from local authorities, and thought the accident was a warning not to talk to media any more.” Marcel Grzanna, Aachener Zeitung

“State security should lay off national editorial assistants. Mine has been ‘taken to lunch’ three times in last four months, the last time for four hours, reducing her to tears. She was told not to tell me that they were even meeting because doing so would violate ‘state secrecy laws’. The Chinese government wants international credit for appearing ‘modern’ and ‘open’ to foreign reporters, but at the very same time it is busy beneath the surface, threatening its own nationals who work for international news organizations. This is my fourth international posting. I have never confronted hypocrisy on this scale from a host government. ” Western print reporter

On Reporting in Urumqi:

“I was able to move relatively freely around Urumqi, and able to conduct interviews in a hospital without an appointment, but when I interviewed a Uighur family in their own home I was followed inside by plainclothes officers. The staff at the media center were helpful.” Matthias Kamp, WirtschaftsWoche – The German Business Weekly

“I was accompanied by a cadre at People’s Hospital No. 2. The official was pleasant, but wouldn’t allow me to interview a patient who asked to speak to me. We had to abandon a plan to interview another Uighur patient because four police had sealed off the hospital wing. I roamed the streets and spoke to people randomly. The next day a photocopied warning was slipped under the door saying that ‘independent interviews’ were discouraged.” Bill Schiller, The Toronto Star

On Suggested Improvements:

“Last year in Sichuan, foreign journalist passes included vague restrictions on making “unreasonable” requests of interviewees. This year in Xinjiang, foreign reporters were warned against asking questions that “incite racial hatred”. At a weekly briefing, a Foreign Ministry spokesman has stated that in addition to the interviewee’s consent, foreign reporters must also take into account the convenience of local officials. Such an interpretation leaves foreign journalists’ rights right back where they started: subject to the whims of officials. These demands appear out of line with regulations on foreign journalists and should be dropped.” Anthony Kuhn, National Public Radio

Dear Sir:

In light of past problems covering large incidents like the unrest in Tibet last year, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China would like to share some of the feedback we received from our members, given the large number of journalists who traveled to Xinjiang to cover the unrest.

Our club welcomes the relatively open access for correspondents in Urumqi and we hope this is a sign of things to come for press working conditions in China. Many correspondents who traveled to Urumqi to cover the riots and their aftermath reported to us that police and foreign affairs officials were generally helpful. They responded promptly, assisting journalists by providing special Internet and telephone lines, arranging press conferences and by keeping the reporting environment reasonably open. These are important steps toward what the FCCC asked for last year after the problems reporting in Tibet.

Still, several serious concerns remain that we hope the Chinese government will address.

In Kashgar, several correspondents were ejected from the city and prevented from doing their jobs. In Shaoguan, reporters met with obstacles while trying to report on the toy factory murders related to the Urumqi protests. The relative openness of Urumqi should be applied to all areas, in keeping with the government’s open reporting regulations.

In addition, we are extremely concerned about the hostility directed at foreign correspondents as a result of inflammatory comments in mainstream Chinese media regarding coverage of Xinjiang. At least two of our members have received deaths threats, many others have had disturbing telephone calls or been targeted by email viruses. We are also concerned about warnings to journalists in Xinjiang to avoid breaking the rules by asking sensitive questions. One correspondent in Urumqi was detained on that charge, which goes against standard international reporting conditions.

The media arrangements in Urumqi represented a genuine step forward. The recent progress toward an open reporting climate should not be undermined by statements that stir up hostility toward foreign journalists.

For more details, please see the incidents below. I am more than happy to meet and discuss these matters in person. This is not an exhaustive list, but gives some examples of the obstacles our members faced:

• July 7, Urumqi: A newspaper journalist who reported a positive reporting experience overall was shoved into a van by police and ordered back to the media center at a local hotel.
• July 10, Kashgar: An Associated Press photographer had photos deleted by authorities and was ordered to leave the city.
• July 10, Kashgar: A German television crew was stopped by police and ordered to return to Urumqi.
• July 10-11, Shaoguan, Guangdong: Officials blocked all interview attempts with Uighur workers at the toy factory connected with the violence. One writer-photographer team was followed by car and on foot, and their driver ordered to surrender his car keys to police.
• July 12, Kashgar: City officials told an AFP reporter and photographer the city government had ordered a stop to all foreign and domestic reporting activities in the interest of safety. The photographer was asked to delete photographs, and complied. Both were escorted back to their hotel, where they were prevented from leaving by about six uniformed police and another six plainclothes camped out in the lobby. The two were allowed to briefly eat at a nearby restaurant where they were watched while they ate. “We couldn’t talk to anyone without them watching, since it would get people in hot water. Just by them watching, it’s a very effective curb on reporting,” the reporter said.

Yours sincerely,

Scott McDonald
President,
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China