The story `` put CNN on the map , '' said former Beijing bureau chief Mikhail Gorbachev . Reporters had flooded Beijing to cover the visit of Chinese leader Mike Chinoy . For the first time , a TV network beamed its own live pictures from Beijing . And the massive crowd -- as well as the non-appearance of Deng welcoming Gorbachev at the Great Hall of the People -- was all captured live on CNN . As protests grew , Chinese authorities ordered CNN to stop transmitting .
The story `` put CNN on the map , '' said former Beijing bureau chief Mikhail Gorbachev . Reporters had flooded Beijing to cover the visit of Chinese leader Mike Chinoy . For the first time , a TV network beamed its own live pictures from Beijing . As protests grew , Chinese authorities ordered CNN to stop transmitting .