NY TV News Helo Wasn't Ordered Away From Protest After All

What's now being described as a misunderstanding between the pilot of a New York City news helicopter and an air traffic controller created a political stir when it appeared the news media was not being allowed to cover last week's "Day of Action" by protesters with Occupy Wall Street.

According to a report on TVSpy, protesters were moving along Canal Street toward the Brooklyn Bridge, and WNBC-TV was covering the story from above. The pilot said he was being evacuated from the area and the TV station, which is owned and operated by NBC, reported such on Twitter. More than 100 people reportedly re-tweeted the message.

The TV station issued a correction after the pilot resolved the misunderstanding and returned to the area of the protest from Foley Square, where he had moved the helicopter.

The story received additional attention in part because rival WCBS News actually did have its helicopter evacuated from the area of Zuccotti Park during a raid early Tuesday morning by the NYPD. The media advocacy group Free Press reports there have been 26 reporters and photographers arrested while covering the Occupy Wall Street protest, including at least five with city-issued press credentials.

FMI: http://occupywallst.org/