Mobile radio transmission in Beijing demands free speech in China
By Will Park on Friday, August 8th, 2008 at 3:41 PM PST In Announcements
Today we see the 2008 Beijing Olympics kick off in government-censored China. In addition to China’s countless human-rights atrocities and internet censorship, the draconian government is known for stifling free speech by reporters looking to publish news and opinion articles that expose China’s problems.
The latest fight against censorship comes from the free press organization “Reporters Without Borders.” After “Chinese authorities refused to issue visas to ten of [Reporters Without Borders] members,” a team of reporters set out to broadcast a pirate radio transmission across Beijing. The radio program is the “first non-state radio station to have broadcast in China since the Communist Party took power in 1949.” The broadcast was made possible with mobile radio transmitters and antennas.
The clandestine radio transmission goes against the government’s practice of jamming all short-wave radio transmission that look to provide news and information that China finds less than savory.
With the help of those mobile radio components, Reporters Without Borders was able to broadcast their call for the release of 100 journalists jailed for writing news and opinions about topics that China wants buried under their Great Wall of Censorship. The transmission was broadcast in English, French and Mandarin, on the 104.4 FM frequency band.
Listen to the radio broadcast here.
