BEIJING SNAPSHOT: Reporting, inside and outside the bubble

By EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — Journalists who spent weeks of reporting on the Beijing Olympics while hermetically sealed inside the “closed-loop” system will leave with an incomplete picture of what reporting in China entails. Inside the closed-loop Olympic “bubble,” those telling the story of the Games to the world are surrounded by volunteers offering help with a smile. Security guards leave you to your filming from pre-assigned perimeters and locations with no interference. For much of press corps who move around in the bubble, the impression might be that there is some latitude and freedom in reporting. But that’s not what everyday reporting in China entails.