"There are some reports that Russian authorities have ordered a media ban on reports of terrorist incidents during the Games:" claims a report from the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) made public today. [Even if true, how could they do it? N2S asks.]
The source of the reports of a ban is not clear in the document -- entitled "The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: Security and Human Rights Issues." There is also no discussion of how Moscow might enforce a media ban, especially against non-Russian media. US media outlets have publicly noted the assumption that their electronic communications are being intercepted by Russian security organizations. But there has not been widespread discussion of potential Russian control over Western media infrastructure, such as satellite and digital feeds, at the event.
Talk of a "media ban" of news on a violent incident raises the specter of the ham-handed Chinese effort to shut down Western media outlets during the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident -- in part by yanking out broadcast cables as journalists described the events.
Modern technology would make a media ban far more difficult and total suppression of the news impossible. That said, certain current tech, such as mobile phone suppression systems, could be brought to bear. Share your thoughts below on how Moscow might try to enforce a ban.
The CRS, according to its web site, "works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate...CRS is well-known for analysis that is authoritative, confidential, objective and nonpartisan. Its highest priority is to ensure that Congress has 24/7 access to the nation’s best thinking."
CRS reports on generally based on "open-source" material from public hearings, officials statements and news reports. However, they sometimes reveal facts or issues not yet widely reported by the media.
Obtained by the Federation of American Scientists, the report can be read here:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43383.pdf
The CRS report also notes a recent White House statement appeared to some observers to contain a "subtle suggestion that cooperation with Russian authorities was not as harmonious and comprehensive as it could be."
A map of the Sochi complex and the report's summary of terrorism threats involving the Games were part of the original source material.
Excerpts from the CRS Report: "Since the terrorist bombings at the Boston Marathon in April 2013, the Obama Administration has maintained that U.S.-Russia counter-terrorism cooperation has increased. Some observers, however, suggest that Russian authorities resisted offers from U.S. agencies of substantial
counter-terrorism assistance to bolster security at the Games. On January 5, 2014, the state-owned
RT (Russia Times) network stated that the United States had offered such boosted aid both before
and after the terrorist incidents in Volgograd and mentioned statements by FBI Director Comey,
Defense Secretary Hagel, and the White House.
However, the article reported that 'Moscow insisted that the terrorism threat does not require any additional measures,' and referred to the statement by the president of the Russian Olympic Committee, Aleksandr Zhukov, that all possible security measures already were in place in Sochi. On January 24, 2014, the Washington Post reported accounts by former FBI agents that Russia had approved only a fraction of the
personnel that the FBI had proposed to send to Russia for the Games.
On January 22, 2014, Prime Minister Medvedev stated that U.S.-Russia security cooperation for the Games was 'at a good level,' although perhaps it could have been better, he suggested. Some observers have argued that Russian security services appear unlikely to change their traditional suspicions of U.S. assistance
in the days remaining before the Games begin."