A newspaper in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, published a front-page plea on Wednesday asking for the release of one of its reporters detained by Hunan police.

In a front-page article with the headline "Please set him free", New Express called for police in Changsha, Hunan province, to free journalist Chen Yongzhou.

Changsha police arrested Chen at his home in Guangzhou on Friday morning, months after the newspaper printed a story by Chen on May 27 that claimed Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Development, a Changsha-based company, falsified its sales numbers for the first three quarters of last year.