At the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Big Brother may be watching you, but you can’t watch anyone else: mobile phones and tablets will be banned for use by journalists wanting to film the athletes or the crowds watching them.
Vasily Konov, head of the state-run R-Sport news agency, which monitors accreditation for journalists, told sports journalists at a seminar, “Journalists using mobile phones to film athletes or spectators will be considered a serious violation and will result in cancellation of accreditation.”
The Russian news site Svoboda, said that all mobile devices and tablets, including iPhones and iPads would be banned from use. Fans are also forbidden to use professional camera equipment.
There are exceptions; photographers who have been given special passes and use proper SLR and digital video cameras will be free to use them.
Dutch journalists employed on a multimedia project as well as a Norwegian TV crew have already had their accreditation come into question..
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