Mainland Journalist In The Eye Of A Media Storm

A reporter’s name has now become the most censored term on mainland social media after she was caught on camera rolling her eyes at a question posed by a fellow journalist at a highly-choreographed press conference on the sidelines of the NPC meeting in Beijing.

Liang Xiangyi from the financial outlet Yicai rolled her eyes and looked away in disgust when another reporter, Zhang Huijun from American Multimedia Television USA, spent over 40 seconds asking a softball question about the protection of state-owned enterprises on Tuesday.

The moment was broadcast live on national television and immediately went viral on the internet, with many saying how they shared her sentiments.

Within minutes, numerous clips, memes and recreations of the eye roll began to spread like wildfire across the internet, prompting censors to suppress its spread and banning Liang's name from online search results.

The journalist's personal Weibo page was taken down, and unconfirmed reports have also emerged of authorities revoking her official press credentials.

Quick-thinking mainland entrepreneurs, though, were quick to cash in on the unscripted TV moment, with smartphone cases featuring Liang and Zhang already on sale on e-commerce sites.