BEIJING - The Olympic Media Village opened on Friday for 21,600 domestic and foreign registered reporters, amid some foreign media's concerns about free reporting in China.
The Olympic Media Village opens for 21,600 domestic and foreign registered reporters in Beijing, July 25, 2008. [Xinhua] |
Friday's People's Daily, the mouthpiece of China's ruling party, ran a commentary appealing to administrations and common people to "befriend the media."
"To serve the media is to serve the Olympic Games," the article said. "To befriend the media is to befriend the audience."
About 30,000 reporters are expected to cover the Games, the most in Olympic history, which means the number in the audience could be the highest ever too.
"It is through the media that the audience across the world are learning about the Olympics, China and Beijing," the newspaper said.
The Beijing Organizing Committee of the 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG) and Chinese government obviously have a full understanding of the role media will play in the coming grand sport event.
In early this month, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping included well serving the media in the top eight tasks of the last-minute preparation for the Games.
"We should provide a good service to the media according to the promises we made, international practice and Chinese laws. Through rich Olympic news, we are to share the joy of the Games with people worldwide," he said in the speech to officials 30 days before the start of the Games.
Beijing has opened three media centers, the Main Press Center (MPC), the International Broadcast Center (IBC) and the Beijing International Media Center (BIMC). The former, on the Beijing National Olympic Green Convention Center, covers 150,000 square meters, the largest in Olympic history. The latter, to receive about 5,000 non-registered reporters, is of 60,000 square meters.
In the first 12 days since their opening, 23 press conferences have been held at the MPC and BIMC.
