Posted on 08/28/2006 5:44:59 PM PDT by dervish
What are we seeing when we watch events from the Middle East on our television screens? Is it news or is it terrorist theater?
Let us observe two media events which occurred on Sunday in Gaza. Sunday afternoon released hostages and Fox News journalists Steven Centanni and Olaf Wiig spoke before the cameras. The fact of their release and their statements were reported by more than 1,000 news organizations throughout the world.
At the press conference, Centanni and Wiig, who were forced by their Palestinian captors to convert to Islam, praised the Palestinians. Centanni said, "I just hope this never scares a single journalist away from coming to Gaza to cover this story because the Palestinian people are a very beautiful, kind-hearted and caring people that the world need[s] to know more about." Wiig similarly praised the Palestinians.
While their remarks were covered extensively, no one seemed to think that the fact that their first post-release statements were made at a Palestinian Authority sponsored media extravaganza in Gaza was significant. No one noted that the men were flanked by Palestinian "security forces," and stood next to Hamas terrorist leader and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.
No mention was made of the fact that the two were initially kidnapped by just such PA "security officials," or that Haniyeh is one of the leaders of one of the most fanatical jihadist organizations in the world, an organization that the majority of the "beautiful, kind-hearted and caring" Palestinians voted into office last January.
That is, no mention was made of the fact that until the two men left Gaza, they remained unfree. No one asked whether they had been given the option of not giving a press conference in Gaza...
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
Interesting. I didn't realize that.
Forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint. EOM
It was only when these guys reached the Promised Land, that they knew they were safe. Maybe I would have kissed the "Palis'" a$$e$ too, to get out of there. But if they don't repudiate that cr@p like "Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam," these guys, Centanni especially, are through as far as credibility goes. Why didn't they feel safe under the auspices of the Prime Minister in Gaza? I give Centanni a day or two. After that Fox should fire him and pull every reporter from every region that purports to be controlled by Sharia Law.
ML/NJ
Yeah, I knew that, but I thought their comments about the "very beautiful, kind-hearted and caring people" was very, very odd. If they were still essentially in the custody of the plo thugs then it makes sense.
"After that Fox should fire him and pull every reporter from every region that purports to be controlled by Sharia Law."
Good point. Let them report their own news or give unfettered safe access.
He should have added "hospitable and tolerant"
From National Review Online: "As many of you may have heard, we've dropped Ann Coulter's column from NRO....In the wake of her invade-and-Christianize-them column, Coulter wrote a long, rambling rant of a response to her critics that was barely coherent. She's a smart and funny person, but this was Ann at her worst — emoting rather than thinking, and badly needing editing and some self-censorship, or what is commonly referred to as 'judgment'."
Ann Coulter: "Ozzy Osbourne has his bats, and I have that darn 'convert them to Christianity' quote. Some may not like what I said, but I'm still waiting to hear a better suggestion."
Yeah. That's Ann's stock-in-trade: barely coherent.
Did someone at NRO really write this?
ML?NJ
It sounds like a prepared statement, something along the lines of a POW reading "We have received nothing but the best treatment from the North Vietnamese..."--while blinking S-O-S in morse code.
A little too much good to say, and no thinking American is going to believe the statement.
Either that or they have a really bad case of Stockholm Syndrome. No credibility either way.
I guess FOX has to be there because all the other new services are, but I believe that everything we get out of there is pretty much propaganda and not news.
No, but we need to give them some time.
I hope and pray that under those circumstances I would openly refuse to convert, but I suspect I might be compelled to say some things I didn't want to say. Their credibility is not harmed in my opinion, unless they continue to say that crap.
Did you see the joy with which the released FOX journalists met their "Palestinian" colleagues?
Can you believe anything out of FOX, or any other outlet in Gaza, if the stage managers of Pallywood work hand in hand even with "Right Wing" FOX?
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Yep.
L’Affaire Coulter
Goodbye to all that.
By Jonah Goldberg, NRO Editor
October 3, 2001
As usual, an excellent piece of writing by Caroline Glick.
Usually it doesn't take a kidnapping -- generally speaking the alleged / purported / supposed journalists covering stories in the terrorist-infested Middle East act as if they are converts to Islam and toe the line.
Great article.
Little by little the word is getting out.
Muslims lie, it is considered proper to lie to infidels.
"Yeah, I knew that, but I thought their comments about the "very beautiful, kind-hearted and caring people" was very, very odd. If they were still essentially in the custody of the plo thugs then it makes sense.
"
OR -- if they were suffering from the Stockholm syndrome.
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