No one really watched the Winter Olympics, and those covering them didn’t really know about the games either.
This is because members of the media say they have been blocked from accessing several Olympic websites. This is something that was brought to light by Los Angeles Times reporter Nathan Fenno.
“Hello from the Beijing Olympics, where our hotel Wi-Fi is now blocking access to several Olympics-related venues ‘for security reasons’ as the Games enter their final day,” Fenno tweeted.
Journalist Tamara Anthony added: “The Olympic Bubble Media Center Wi-Fi appears to be censored. It is not behind the Chinese firewall (and therefore only non-Chinese personnel have access to it!). But some pages do not open.
Anthony included a photo of a blocked Olympics-related page as evidence.
Of course, that was to be expected. Censorship and control is nothing new in the world of communism and especially the Chinese government. So some things are not so surprising.
The Games probably should never have been held in Beijing, given the massive human rights abuses in China. Many members of the media who supported China may no longer be on China’s side.
The Games end on Sunday, and almost everyone involved from outside of China (including many athletes) is likely eager to get out of there.
