China: No broadcasts from Tiananmen Square during Olympics

The Associated Press reports that any thoughts of the 2008 Summer Olympics having a transformative impact on the Chinese government seem to be vanishing quickly as the government has banned live broadcasts from Tiananmen Square during the Olympics. “Tiananmen is the face of China, the face of Beijing, so many
broadcasters would like to do live or recorded coverage of the square,”
said Yosuke Fujiwara, the head of broadcast relations for Beijing
Olympic Broadcasting, a joint venture between Beijing Olympic
organizers and an Olympic committee subsidiary. The high-profile landmark would see the obvious place for NBC’s Today Show to set up camp during the games but now NBC and other broadcasters will need to find a new place to call home.