On Point episode about China earthquake

The radio program On Point featured an hour today about the earthquake in China. Around minute 8, you can hear a discussion about how open the Chinese government has been in giving information about this crisis—both to their citizens and to the world at large.

James Areddy speaks of hearing updates on the radio while riding around in cabs in China and seeing up-to-the minute photos. He says state media has become more careful with what it says in the last couple of days. But host Tom Ashbrook and commentators contrast this behavior with Chinese government coverage of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake and the way they covered up the extent of the more recent SARS outbreak, remarking that what we're seeing now is a much more transparent discussion, even though it is not ideal.