behind the news

Flame-aganda

Pop quiz! Match the headline to the news outlet that produced it: 1. Security concerns high as Olympic torch arrives in San Francisco after chaos in...
April 9, 2008

Pop quiz! Match the headline to the news outlet that produced it:

1. Security concerns high as Olympic torch arrives in San Francisco after chaos in Paris relay



2. San Francisco Protests, Vigil Surround Olympic Torch Relay



3. 3 layers of cops to protect torch



4. Security Tightened As San Francisco Girds for Protests Along Olympic Torch Route



5. Anxious San Francisco Braces for Torch Protests



6. SF mayor wants successful Beijing Olympic Games




A. The San Francisco Chronicle

B. The International Herald Tribune

C. Voice of America

D. The New York Times

E. ABC News

F. Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency


[Answers: 1-B, 2-C, 3-A, 4-E, 5-D, 6-F]

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For more on the political protests that have been the top news story surrounding the trek of the Olympic flame on its way to the controversial Beijing Games, go to…pretty much any reputable news source you can think of. For a summary that ignores the protests’ existence in favor of a detailed discussion of the “sacred flame” in its “Journey of Harmony,” check out the Xinhua coverage. Gotta hand it to them: while most outlets would find it a challenge to make reports about rage-filled riots seem uplifting, Xinhua has managed to make its own coverage of the torch’s journey toward Beijing’s “extraordinary event” downright happy-go-lucky. Mad propa—er, props.

Megan Garber is an assistant editor at the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University. She was formerly a CJR staff writer.