On the final day of the NGO Forum in Huairou, Western women’s NGOs held a press conference to confront Western media about their poor coverage of Forum activities.
Representatives from NGOs in Spain, Norway, and the United States decried the media’s almost exclusive focus on the logistical difficulties of the conference and on criticism of Chinese surveillance of Forum participants. Substantive plenaries, panels, and workshops covering a wide range of issues of importance to women worldwide for the most part were ignored by the media, according to the NGOs.
At the same time, some NGOs circulated a letter signed by conference participants thanking the people of China for their hospitality during the conference and attacking media for exaggerated reports of security concerns and the negative portrayal of China and the Forum.
