Posted on 04/04/2006 5:02:36 AM PDT by DJ Taylor
Subject: Jill Carroll's "release in Iraq"
I received this from a friend who has always presented the facts straight, however I have not verified the info on Jill's school background, yet if it is true would make a slam-dunk story.
Jill Carroll's "release in Iraq" and how the liberals will use it to dupe America
I just heard from a good friend of mine who attended the University of Massachusetts when Jill Carroll was a journalism student there and a reporter on the school newspaper. Since UMASS is not Ohio State, he not only personally knew her there, but read her articles, and what he has to say is incredibly unsettling if you have seen her on TV the past few days since her release. To suggest she is about to be used by all of Liberalism and the Leftist media to hurt the USA and portray further abandonment of our troops "to the troops" is suggested in his note to me, which I have paraphrased to keep his identity confidential. I know this guy well and he is a super straight shooter, and his knowledge is firsthand. Read on:
"I have some inside information that I ask you circulate so that everyone is not blindsided by what seems likely to happen once the Leftists begin to use the Jill Carroll release by the terrorists in Iraq. I was amused to see America's media this morning debating whether Jill Carroll is suffering from the "Stockholm Syndrome" as a result of her captivity in Iraq. In case you and your colleagues find yourselves somehow being drawn into this debate, which I expect will only grow in the next couple of days once she starts giving major media interviews, I wanted to give you a bit of background on Jill. I actually know Jill quite well from UMass, where she was a reporter for the school newspaper. When Jill makes comments about how her suffering was nothing compared to the Iraqi people and that she is rooting for the Insurgents, Jill is NOT suffering from Stockholm Syndrome; she is an Extreme Liberal [probably more communist/socialist]; she has never been a fan of America [which she used to spell Amerikkka in her articles], she hates the military, and she despises "republikkkans" as she likes to write. I have no doubt that she went to Iraq with a political agenda and wouldn't be surprised to hear some outrageous things come out of her mouth in the upcoming days. She is an activist way beyond Cindy Sheehan------ so watch out. We are in for a whole string of anti-US and anti-Military comments. Mark my words; you are going to see her on Larry King talking about how the military is abusing the Iraqi people and how bad the war is, and about how righteous her captors are."
If there is an investigative reporter out there worth the title, there is a story here just begging to be told.
Thanks for the informative post. ping
The story of her kidnapping and release stinks to high heaven.
Her paper, at UMASS Amherst.
http://www.dailycollegian.com/
Archives only go back to Fall 1999, after she'd graduated.
An Google cache article from the 3/31 Daily Hampshire Gazette:
Collegian's edition honors Jill Carroll - UMass newspaper celebrates release
BY RACHAEL HANLEY STAFF WRITER
[ Originally published on: Friday, March 31, 2006 ]
AMHERST - When a student at the University of Massachusetts, journalist Jill Carroll brought a crusading spirit to its daily newspaper. Today, that publication is celebrating her release from captivity in Baghdad with a special 'Jill Carroll edition.'
Carroll, 28, a 1999 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, was abducted Jan. 7 while reporting in Iraq for the Christian Science Monitor. During her years at UMass she worked as a reporter and editor for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian.
Since her abduction, students at the university have held rallies calling for her release and hung 'Free Jill' signs in their dormitory windows.
Returning from a Thursday press conference on Carroll's release, Collegian editor in chief Michael Busack attached a small 'Free Jill' button to his tie.
'We want to make this the most biased Collegian ever,' Busack said he told the newsroom.
Busack had been in the office since the news of Carroll's release broke at 6 a.m., fielding phone calls from other news agencies. He started planning the special edition as soon as he heard she had been freed.
Carroll would be in every section, he said. A full page photo on the front cover would carry the headline 'Welcome Home Jill.' There would be stories from her friends and clips from her time as a reporter, he said.
The sports section was even planning a feature on her career as a swimmer at UMass.
'I never knew Jill, but she's an instant hero,' said Amber Vaillancourt, a journalism major who recently started writing for the Collegian. Commenting on her blue 'Free Jill' button, Vaillancourt said she was planning to rewrite it as 'Jill Freed.'
Around the Collegian office on Thursday, old editions of the student newspaper were opened on every desk so reporters could read over old columns by Carroll. They scanned her work and showed each other her defiant senior photo. Holding a blue water gun and making a face, Carroll was holding one pixilated finger to the camera.
Busack said he had never met Carroll, but had been inspired by her example.
'I became incredibly proud that someone who came from this university had enough guts to go and face danger,' he said. 'She helped a lot of seniors get back into (reporting)... it was a reminder of why you still do it.'
On Thursday afternoon, as reporters read through entries from Carroll's columns, they left paper markers at the pages that struck them, including her final piece for the Collegian summer edition.
'Choices are what give freedom,' Carroll wrote to the incoming students. 'Prisoners are without choices, victims are without choices. ... the secret to success in a career is (drum roll please) doing what you get paid for.'
That summed up Carroll, said classified advertising manager Marty Pappas.
'She went out and got the hard news stories a lot of people would shy away from,' Pappas said. 'She wanted to be in the thick of things all the time.'
Carroll was 'very dedicated,' Pappas said, and spent most of her time in the offices of the student newspaper. She used to admonish Carroll to go home. 'We could tell journalism was her thing,' Pappas said.
Carroll was just as sure of her role, writing to the Collegian staff in 'Reporter Tells All,' one of her last student columns, 'You all are my heroes and I'm determined to do you proud.'
On Thursday morning, she did just that.
Rachael Hanley can be reached at rhanley@gazettenet.com.
Around the Collegian office on Thursday, old editions of the student newspaper were opened on every desk so reporters could read over old columns by Carroll. They scanned her work and showed each other her defiant senior photo
Apparently those old articles are still available. It would be instructive to post them.
Heyyyyyyy, I went to The Ohio State University and I knew dozens of people there. So what if that equals zero point two five percent of the enrollment!
In other words, she'll sound just like a CNN reporter.
If Jill Carroll's captivity was indeed staged, we must not forget that her interpreter was murdered during her capture, and if Jill was a knowing party to this stunt, that would make her an accessory to murder.
Thanks for the ping. This is another fine example of FreeRepublic reporting versus the enemy media.
Come on, an "accessory to murder" she is not. She was kidnapped. She is naive and not terribly articulate, judging from her remarks to her new colleagues..."Me and my friends were like..."
Apparently, your post #11 wasn't intended for me. I didn't say she was an "accessory to murder" -- but neither would I say she is naive. From her background, I would say she was a dedicated left-wing moonbat, and if she has a change of heart from this experience, I will be surprised and pleased.
I'm thinking it was staged (Carroll's kidnapping) but I don't believe she thought the linguist would be murdered.
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