| As a carrier of cultural meanings that are available to international audiences amounting to 4 billion viewers, the modern Olympic Games are global events unparalleled in history. The Olympic spectacle provides a unique opportunity for a host nation to construct a desired image and narrative of itself for the world. The Games also give global civil society the opportunity to conquer the Olympic platform and draw attention to various socio-political agendas. Focusing the inquiry on the global civic debate prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, this thesis documents the sophisticated yet tactically diffuse public relations campaigns mounted by the organizers and detractors of the Beijing Games. The purpose of this thesis is to contextualize the correlation between the Olympic spectacle and public relations within several theoretical frameworks, by situating it in the interface between state, non-governmental organization advocacy groups, and mass media. Central to the inquiry is the creation of a desired narrative by the Olympic host country, China, as well as the counter-narratives created by the two dominant opposing civil society actors, the NGOs "Dream for Darfur" and "Students for a Free Tibet." The thesis will track which stakeholder occupied the Olympic platform in the lead-up to the Games, and for what reasons. The thesis concludes with the finding that neither side of the conflict, Olympic host nor civil society actors achieved its goal to alter the public's perception of 'China' in Western society. |
