If you watched the news last night, you would have seen the lead story - a new GetUp TV ad has hit the headlines as Kevin Rudd arrives at the Beijing Olympics, urging him to speak out on Tibet.

The ad, made with the Australia Tibet Council, is going to air either side of the Opening Ceremony.

We sent the PM a copy of the ad, and he has pledged to raise human rights issues in Beijing. We know this sort of diplomacy works - only last week the PM condemned the media censorship around the Olympics - and the Chinese Government eased the restrictions.

But there is one hurdle left to clear - the Seven Network, in response to the media interest our ad has generated is now denying the fact that we’ve booked the ad space. Unfortunately for them we have on our desks a confirmed booking sheet suggesting otherwise!

Whether or not Channel 7 decide to uphold the values of free speech, you can watch the ad for yourself here:

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/OlympicSilenceIsNotGolden

It’s vital that after the Olympics the world does not ‘switch off’ on Tibet - that’s why we’re planning more ads for the closing ceremony and beyond. Stay tuned for opportunities to help get the message out soon.

Thanks,

The GetUp team

PS - Let us know what you think about the Tibet issue and free speech on our blog.

GetUp

We sent the PM a copy of the ad, and he has pledged to raise human rights issues in Beijing. We know this sort of diplomacy works - only last week the PM condemned the media censorship around the Olympics - and the Chinese Government eased the restrictions.  But there is one hurdle left to clear - the Seven Network, in response to the media interest our ad has generated is now denying the fact that we’ve booked the ad space. Unfortunately for them we have on our desks a confirmed booking sheet suggesting otherwise!