China: A Prison for Journalists

"China: The world's biggest prison for journalists and cyber-dissidents" states the Beijing 2008 campaign of Reporters Without Borders, intended to heighten awareness of the "black hole" of press freedom in the run-up to the Olympic Games. The statistics are grim: As of Aug. 13, 2007, 50 of the 65 cyber-dissidents imprisoned worldwide were in China. Thirty-two journalists are imprisoned, more than any country, and two of those since 1983. On Jan. 11, 2007, journalist Lan Chengzhang was beaten to death while trying to cover a story on substandard conditions in mines. Others have been killed by police. The stories go on and on as concerned observers ask what the best course of action should be. "As negative exposure will damage the government's image, the government has been trying to 'clean' the voices," said Watson Meng, founder of the banned independent Boxun News. "That is why human rights and press freedom have not been improved."