Chinese Police Detain British Reporter, Live, on Camera, in Tiananmen Square
Sky News' Mark Stone was in the middle of discussing efforts to ensure as little controversy as possible when he referred to the June 1989 protests. Then police stepped in, loaded him into a van, and transported him into the Forbidden City.
While filming a segment in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, Sky News journalist Mark Stone was detained by police who didn't realize he was broadcasting the event back to London live.
TV Newser first reported on the bizarre affair, which began shortly after Stone made reference to the June 1989 protests that occurred in the plaza.
Stone's report, which is viewable at the Sky News website, focused on the recent transition of power in the Chinese government. Standing in front of the Great Hall of the People, Stone was discussing efforts to ensure as little controversy as possible in the transition when he referred to the protests. Police quickly stepped in, loading Stone and his cameraman into a van and then transporting them into the Forbidden City. The entire time, the events were streamed back to the UK live, apparently without the authorities knowing.
Eventually, Stone was told (in English) to stop filming. "You are not detained here and you are not allowed to go on with your media work here," an officer told him, "because you haven't got permission from the administration class of this park. Would you like to stop?" Stone pointed out that he hadn't chosen to be filming in the Forbidden City, a valid point that had little effect.
Once released, Stone conveyed the day's events on Twitter with aplomb.
Interesting day in Beijing. Day time reporting on leadership changes. Evening spent talking to Police. They have released us now.
— Mark Stone (@Stone_SkyNews) March 15, 2013
A follower wondered how could he post to Twitter from heavily censored Beijing. The answer was simple: he uses a virtual private network to get around the government's restrictions — a task Mark Stone appears to be quite good at.