Handout photo from the U.S. Embassy Beijing Press office shows U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke talking on a mobile phone as he accompanies blind activist Chen Guangcheng in a car, in Beijing

A handout photo from the U.S. Embassy Beijing Press office shows U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke (L) talking on a mobile phone as he accompanies blind activist Chen Guangcheng (R) in a car, in Beijing, May 2, 2012. Picture taken May 2, 2012. REUTERS/US Embassy Beijing Press Office/Handout (CHINA – Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Alex Stonehill

Alex is a cofounder and editor of The Seattle Globalist. He's a visual journalist whose work has been published by PBS, The Seattle Times, FRONTLINE/World and the Seattle Weekly.  Alex teaches journalism in the University of Washington's Department of Communication and recently directed the documentary film Barzan.