NBC's Pathetic Praising of China

[ScribePharisee]

Update: Costas has spoken to the Chinese premier about buying property and having dual citizenship.

[DanOregon]

I don't doubt that the numbers back up NBC's coverage plans and applaud their coverage on the other channels, but I tune out the beach volleyball unless a US team is losing. I'm hoping the recap that Togo kayaker tonight.

[McNuggetsMan]

So I guess most people disagreed with me... Upon most extensive viewing of the Olympics, I guess I was overly harsh by painting NBC's entire coverage based on that Mary Cirillo's features - her one on the acrobatic culture glossed over a lot of problem as well. NBC has been more balanced in other coverage I have seen. I guess that one feature was just so awful, I was left wondering if the communists has produced it themselves. And I do think it is very relevant to state that China is communist when speaking about China's accomplishments. How many people thousands of people have been displaced for the Olympics - the Wall Street Journal's coverage of this has been fantastic over the last several months/years. Any country that places the good of the state at any costs to individual freedoms or well being is very suspicious.

[kingcreole]

Do I really need to see another beach volleyball match with Misty May and Kerri Walsh?

Yes.

Another yes.

[Tarheel316]

NBC's sucking up to China reminds me of ABC's coverage of a U.S.-Cuba boxing match during the 70s. They kept panning the camera on Castro and Howard Cosell blabbered about "El Commandante" during the whole broadcast.

[Clerk Typist]

Howard thought it was a remake of "Bananas." Or he was trying to cadge a cigar from Fidel.

[crimsonace]

One thing ... we know about the train to Tibet and the Three Gorges Dam because we pay attention to things.

Is Three Gorges a massive environmental disaster waiting to happen? Yes.

Has China quietly "assimilated" some minority groups (including Tibetans) by populating their regions with the majority race? Some have come to that conclusion.

Are both pretty impressive engineering feats? Absolutely.

We are so conditioned to report the negative that, in a feel-good piece during the Olympic broadcast, two major engineering feats as the country tries to show itself off is somewhat interesting. Now, I'd expect the Nightly News to mention the potential environmental problems of Three Gorges (it's the trade-off -- China needs the hydro power that Three Gorges will provide, because of the extreme pollution that comes from a coal-fired -- and not clean coal, either -- power grid, but causes problems to an environmentally-sensitive area because of it).

Is the government trying to make sure everyone puts on their best face? Yes.
Is said government authoritarian? Yes. Is it Communist? Not really, but the Train to Tibet and the Three Gorges Dam are two typical Communist moves -- big engineering feats to meet short-term needs without looking at the long-term consequences.

The Train to Tibet I do find interesting.

I haven't found NBC's coverage to be too bad, though, for them. There has been very little of the athlete/country profiles in the coverage I've watched, and few annoyingly sappy vignettes that were ubiquitous in Sydney & Athens (and Turin). The only thing is, I have an interest in China -- my child was born there, so I actually wouldn't mind a few more glimpses into Beijing, but it's more personal for me than it is for 95% of Americans.

Since Jim McKay last hosted an Olympics, I've become conditioned to get nothing but gymnastics, swimming and beach volleyball in prime time, so I just try to make sure to watch during the day to see something I might actually want to see. NBC has shown more stuff live during these games (with a 12-hour time difference) than it did in Atlanta (when even the gymnastics were tape-delayed when they were going on at the same time).

[ScribePharisee]

Look at all these empty seats at venues...seems as though the Chinese can't afford the damn tickets. At 50 cents an hour and the fact most of them have been docked pay since they can't work in order to reduce pollution, I guess the politburo can't put two and two together.

[playthrough]

Reading some of the stories about rampant worldwide counterfeiting, maybe there weren't enough real tickets to go around.

[Tom Petty]

Do I really need to see another beach volleyball match with Misty May and Kerri Walsh?

Yes.

Another yes.

yeah, won't kill me, either.

[DanOregon]

Hoda Kotb, simply and politely, is just not a very good journalist. Her reports reek of someone being outside the know and they are very cliche-ridden. She is obviously over her head.

Maybe the Olys ain't her thing, but a Mr. Peabody, a Mr. Murrow, and a Mr. Dupont and a Mr. Headliner, not to mention a Ms. Gracie would disagree about her not being a very good journalist. She's won all of those awards for her work on Dateline.

[crimsonace]

Yet, the Chinese claim everything was sold out.

Methinks that for some events (e.g. beach volleyball), it's kinda like early-round NCAA Tournament games. People have bought a single-session ticket and maybe show up for one game instead of 3-4 in a session.

[Double J]

Is said government authoritarian? Yes. Is it Communist? Not really, but the Train to Tibet and the Three Gorges Dam are two typical Communist moves -- big engineering feats to meet short-term needs without looking at the long-term consequences.

Do you mean like that "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska that would have cost something like $400 million and would have served, um, no needs at all in the short OR the long term?

Let's face it, foolish government spending knows no ideology.

[DanOregon]

ITV scores again with first journo arrested, and they got it on tape.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20080813/twl-itv-reporter-arrested-in-beijing-41f21e0.html

[Double J]

The International Olympic Committee also said it was investigating.

A spokesman said: "The IOC has learned through media reports that a British journalist was allegedly assaulted today while covering a demonstration near an Olympic venue in Beijing.

"The IOC's position is clear: the media must be free to report on the Olympic Games.

"We are endeavouring to discover the full facts of this incident and, if necessary, will raise our concerns with the appropriate authority."


Wonder if the spokesman said all that with a straight face?

[jambalaya]

Did you see Costas' interview of Bush last night? He wasn't asking questions about how delicious the food is.

Did you catch when Bob pussed-out when Mary gave him some bug on a stick, i.e. a Chinese delicacy, to eat the other night?

Down it, Costas!