For his switch home, the Dutch reporter Sjoerd den Daas chose an obvious background motif: the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing. The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics took place there on Friday. Den Daas reported for the 12 noon news program that it should start in an hour, so a short statement of what the viewers would expect. TV people call it a tell-all, actually routine work. The moderator had just introduced Daas, the reporter, in a winter coat and scarf, standing in front of the stadium that is lit up in the dark, is about to get started.
But what is that? A man in uniform suddenly slides into the picture from the left, his wide red armband is striking. He harasses the reporter and pushes him aside. The video, which the broadcaster NOS published on Twitter, shows another security guard holding his hand in front of the camera. Studio moderator Saida Maggé reacts visibly shocked to the events before the switch to Beijing is broken off in consultation with the director.
What does the International Olympic Committee say about the incident?
“These were unfortunate circumstances, someone was overzealous. These things happen,” said Mark Adams, spokesman for the IOC a day later. The IOC contacted the television station. It is assured that all media representatives can continue their work unhindered within the closed corona bubble at the Olympics. Adams pointed out that the reporter was able to report back from Beijing shortly after the incident in another live broadcast from another location.
The pictures show in a painful way how freedom of the press is in China, NOS editor-in-chief Marcel Gelauff told the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. In the current ranking of press freedom by the organization “Reporters Without Borders”, China ranks 177th out of 180 nations.
“We welcome the international media for coverage of the Olympic Games. We protect their rights and accommodate them as much as possible,” said Yan Jiarong, spokeswoman for the organizing committee.