Journalists who spent weeks covering 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 Olympic “bubble," those telling the story of the Games to the world are surrounded by volunteers offering help with a smile and marveling at how far you’ve traveled to come to Beijing. Security guards leave you to your filming from pre-assigned perimeters and locations with no interference.
When the Court of Arbitration for Sport held its doping hearing for Russian skater Kamila Valieva, reporters were permitted to approach officials for comment. Inside the bubble, even the Great Firewall — China's extensive internet censorship — seems to have vanished from the official Wi-Fi.
