Olympic committee to push for media freedom

Beijing's chief Olympic organizer Liu Qi said the media will get a free hand to report around China during the 2008 Olympics. Reuters quoted Tessa Jowell, Britain's secretary of state for culture, media and sport, Tuesday as saying she had raised the issue "in the strongest possible terms" during a meeting with Liu, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG). "He gave me a clear assurance that BOCOG would support unimpeded movement of accredited and non-accredited journalists to report not just on the Games, but on China," Jowell said. "He mentioned exceptions, such as military facilities. [I believe] the exceptions should be self-justifiable and in line with international norms." The International Olympic Committee expects to accredit 20,000 media to cover the Beijing games in 2008 while thousands more are likely to report from China without access to the Games themselves.