NEW YORK - The prestigious Nieman Foundation for Journalism said Thursday it was withdrawing as a partner in a program to help Chinese officials deal with the needs of a free press covering the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Former Nieman fellows objected to the foundation engaging with officials from China, considering the country's past restrictions on the press, Nieman curator Bob Giles said.

Giles said in an item posted on the foundation's Web site that a misunderstanding about the intentions of the program had put the reputation of the Nieman Fellowship program at risk and "it was necessary to act to protect our good name."

Robert Giles (www.niemanwatchdog.org)

He said the objections were raised during a Nieman reunion Sunday.

The Nieman Fellowships are a prized mid-career program for journalists. Twelve U.S. and 12 international journalists are selected each year to come to Harvard University to continue their education.

The fellowships grew out of a $1 million gift by Agnes Wahl Nieman to Harvard in 1937, who directed her gift be used to "promote and elevate the standards of journalism."

"As I listened to the discussion last Sunday and considered the controversy, it was clear that the question was no longer whether to explain the original idea, but rather the obligation to protect the Nieman name," Giles said on the Web site.

The program may continue under other Harvard sponsorship.

Ezra Vogel, former director of the Fairbank Center for East Asian Research and the Harvard University Asia Center, and an organizer of the program, said in a statement: "The training program is an opportunity for Westerners to provide the Chinese with an understanding of the values underlying the U.S. press and how the press operates in our society.

"The program is in the interests of all those who wish to further opportunities for reporters to find and report what is happening in China."