G20 Summit in Toronto

It is true what they say about internships. You learn things school will never teach you, like how to properly wear a gas mask, or how to run as fast and as far away as you can from police marching rhythmically with their batons and riot shields. I experienced my first riot coverage during my internship at Sun TV's Canoe Live.

From Friday to Sunday, I was the runner for the G20 satellite truck team working for TVA, Sun TV's parent company based in Quebec. My mission: make sure the satellite truck got the camera operator's memory card in time for the hourly broadcasts. I also had to ensure unwanted people do not get in the camera shot and that our camera operator does not get bashed on the head while she tries to do her job. The reporter's live hits were for TVA and LCN.

Being part of a professional news team covering the G20 weekend was nothing short of an exciting opportunity and an exhausting experience. The nature of my task gave me the opportunity to shadow a highly skilled and professional satellite truck team - the reporter, camera operator, satellite tech and production supervisor. Somewhere in between the hours we spent waiting for protests to start and the time I almost got caught within a wall of police officers, I learned that a stellar riot coverage involved anticipating based on your gut feeling, intelligence, resourcefulness and luck.

Despite the importance of getting dramatic footage of police-anarchist confrontation, I learned that the team's safety is still paramount. It was unsettling to see the back windows of a CBC van smashed on Queen Street and University Avenue while running from Queen and Spadina towards a burning police vehicle at Bay and King. That really drove home the point of why our satellite truck had to maintain a distance from the crowds.

Likely to remain my most vivid memory of the weekend is the security unit's Sunday morning surprise capture of those they believed were notorious anarchists protesting in front of the detention centre. Civilian-clothed officers with bulletproof vests jumping out of a van then brusquely stuffing people into a van-that was totally disorienting and I've never experienced anything like it. This was the first time officers used tear gas in Toronto.

While riot mayhem made parts of Toronto unrecognizable, hell did not rise in all intersections of the downtown core. Juxtaposing what I experienced during the day with newscasts I watched when I got home, I felt most news sources exaggerated the degree of violence unfolding. Yes I did see people dressed in black, yes I saw broken glass-but at times those with DSLRs outnumbered the circle of long-haired humans sitting in front of a wall of police officers.

I personally admire the work of the security unit during the protests, although I do realize it is impossible to say whether all officers used their authority appropriately. Even with protocols, ultimately each officer had to make their own subjective decision in treating protesters (anarchist or not). But after attending the press conference displaying items seized from allegedly dangerous protesters, it's hard to blame the security unit for their callous measures. But one thing is for sure, this experience is definitely the highlight of an already awesome internship at Sun TV.