House Republicans Ask NBCU About Chinese Influence On Upcoming Olympics Coverage
25.01.2022 - 22:11
/ deadline.com
Two top Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have fired off a letter to NBCUniversal, calling for them to answer questions about their concerns that China’s ruling communist party may influence the upcoming coverage of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The letter from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Rep. Bob Latta (read it here), first reported by Axios, cites the “atrocities against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province,” as well as crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong and threats to Taiwan.
“Given China’s history of censorship and government control, and the fact that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stands to benefit financially from NBCUniversal’s coverage of the games, we are concerned about the extent of influence the CCP may have over NBCUniversal’s coverage of the games,” they wrote.
“As NBCUniversal begins its coverage of the 2022 Winter Olympics, we believe viewers and listeners deserve to understand whether your programming has been influenced by the IOC or the Chinese Communist Party.”
The letter asks that NBCU CEO Jeff Shell and Gary Zenkel, president of Olympics and business, respond by Feb. 7 to a series of questions, including the extent of the company’s investment in China, and whether the “IOC or CCP asked you to make changes in how they are covered or advertised on NBCUniversal programming.”
Other questions: Has the CCP suggested changes to public content displayed on NBCUniversal programming in either the United States or China? As part of your rights to broadcast the games, are you in any way precluded by the IOC or CCP from coverage that would be critical of the government of the PRC? Does the government of the PRC or the CCP have the ability to block your broadcast feed to