Two Fox News journalists kidnapped in Gaza: witness (Update: see Post #193)

Reuters ^

[slowhand520]

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian gunmen kidnapped two foreign journalists working for the Fox News television channel in Gaza on Monday, a witness said.

The witness, a Palestinian who worked with the two journalists, said one of them, a producer, was an American, and the other, whose nationality he did not know, was a cameraman.

The Fox News bureau in Jerusalem said it was checking the report.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the abduction.

The witness said two vehicles blocked the journalist's transmission truck in the center of Gaza City and a masked man put a gun to the bodyguard's head, forcing him to the ground.

The kidnappers then sped away with the two journalists.

Similar incidents in the past in Gaza have ended with the release, usually within hours, of kidnapped foreign journalists or aid workers.

Many of the abductions were carried out by Palestinians pressing a grievance against the Palestinian government or its security forces

[lainie]

Thanks, Semper! But I just happened across it. No alchemy or contacts at all.

[af_vet_rr]

Hideously evil? Hardly! Wrong and insensitive, yes.

I consider exploiting somebody else's tragedy to be evil, especially the young wife of a soldier, and especailly for profit or personal gain, but I can see we will just end up arguing semantics.

That is essentially what you did when you wished him to be put into the hands of the Muslim terrorists.

Actually, I didn't say that I wished him to be kidnapped, and I even told you flat out in post 456 that I wouldn't really wish that upon anybody, and maybe you missed it (easy to do in fast-moving threads, so no need to apologize).

Being that hindsight is 20/20 and that I wanted to see how I confused you in this matter, I went back and checked my posts, and I can easily see how you got the impression I said that - I mentioned that others had said it either here on another thread or on IRC, and that his attitude towards victims needed some adjustment and/or perspective, and that some reporters are prone to put themselves and their crews in more danger than they should (ala Geraldo in Afghanistan, the various reporters running around Iraq during the invasion, etc.).

I do apologize for confusing you. As I said, I really wouldn't wish that upon anybody, regardless of how much of an evil little scumbag they are.

[Dodgers fan]

I have heard how Brad and Angelina are making a movie about Daniel Pearl based on his wife's book and that Marianne is very happy about it. Watch them ruin this story, not show how savage these jihadists are and downplay the fact that Pearl was Jewish - and murdered because he was a Jew. Sometimes I wonder if his widow know what she is getting herself into. I know that is not politically correct to say, but I have to say it.

[CindyDawg]

I agree

[floriduh voter]

Prayers up.

[jackv]

Pictures being flashed over drudge and reports from other news outlets are going on however. It is a live event. I understand the need for lowkey discretion, etc.

[af_vet_rr]

They do things like this so they WILL make the news.

Yes and no - in this instance, because of the location, chances are they are doing this for leverage against the Palestinian leadership - these little groups are so small-minded, they don't see much beyond their immediate area - they see a vehicle with TV written on the side, and they know immediately that the Palestinian leadership will freak out.

Chances are, based on what's happened in the past, the reporters will soon be let go, unharmed, and the captors will be bought off with jobs or money (or both) because the Palestinian leadership, as I said, even though they act like they have no control, can out of nowhere conjur up some control.

[Lumper20]

They would leave Shep alone based on his pro Hez bias lately.

[af_vet_rr]

They would leave Shep alone based on his pro Hez bias lately.

As much as I don't like him, even I'll admit that's pretty harsh.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

This is so sad. Prayers for Steve. I know this news is a few hours old, but I just read an earlier article confirming it was him and his cameraman. Prayers that he and his cameraman are both released asap alive and well.

[msmagoo54]

Lainie, I agree with you. I don't think it's a conspiracy nor do I think people are stupid for thinking about it. I've thought of little else since I first heard about it. And, your're right; Fox does flog many stories endlessly. It drives me nuts sometimes. But, in this case, right or wrong, it's one of their own.

The point I was trying to make is that if there is no publicity on this, there is no reason to keep doing it.

I think you and I are on the same page.

[Jo Nuvark]

Interesting that the media will hold back when
it's one of their own, but let any information
fly when it's about our military or the President,
even (especially) when it compromises the safety
of Americans.

May God protect Mr. Centanni and his cameraman.
Please God, let not one hair fall from their head.

[lainie]

Yeah, we are. Though I think it wouldn't necessarily be exploitative for them to report what's happening. It is, after all, news.

[jackv]

"Marci Persky Aug. 14, 2006 at 6:54PM Gaza, Aug. 14 (UPI) — Masked militants held the bodyguard for two Fox News employees at gunpoint in Gaza Monday and carted the journalists away to an unknown location. No Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings but a spokesman for Hamas condemned the action, al-Jazeera reported. The abductions were confirmed on the air by the Fox News Channel, but the names of the missing employees were not made public. They were believed to have been a producer from the United States and a cameraman from New Zealand. The Committee to Protect Journalists released a statement expressing concern over the situation and urging the immediate release of the hostages, CNN reported. "We are gravely concerned about our colleagues' safety and call for their immediate and unconditional release," CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said. "These are well-established journalists who are not participants in the conflict. They should be treated accordingly and freed." Road blocks were set up throughout Gaza in an effort to find the missing men.


(Excerpt) Read more at insider.washingtontimes.com ..."


I appreciate this reporting and would expect AS much from Fox.

[Fudd Fan]

Well that's probably true.

[Red Badger]

Errrrrrrr, that's G Block

We are talking about Shep here, you know...........

[Blogger]

Maybe it is just conditioning, but I think what Shep does is just "TYPICAL" Journalism these days. If Greta were interviewing the lady whose husband is kidnapped, it may have had a less agressive tone but the same pressing questions would have been asked.

[msmagoo54]

I know very little about the local level but believe you are right about this. However, for whatever reason they are doing this, it eventually goes from local to national, and then, to international. It's only very recently that wars were reported 24/7 on TV, and, I think they have adapted to this very well. These small-minded groups have to start somewhere, and with the help of our media, they quickly have an audience - which is, of course, what they want.

I do not think, however, we have adapted as well as they have.
Overall, our media seems to be in it for ratings only, which by the way, makes me even happier that Fox News is
"low-keying" this particular story. I think they want our guy back more than they want the story. I hope I'm right.

[af_vet_rr]

Maybe it is just conditioning, but I think what Shep does is just "TYPICAL" Journalism these days.

That's probably the case. As I said, I would have fired him, but he wasn't fired, nobody apologized, etc., - it's fast becoming the norm. I listened to a talk/discussion a few months ago that talked about how this kind of journalism has been building for a long time, and every now and then we see it at its worst - whether it's Hurricane Katrina or the girl down in Aruba - the media exploits anybody and everybody because we, as a nation, will watch. The fact that we now have news crews that can travel extremely light and fast, while staying in contact with their stations, has accelerated it.

It's almost becoming a form of entertainment. I remember a few years ago during the invasion, when the embedded reporters were showing things happening in real-time, and various news organizations were trying to get families to comment on what they were watching - looking back, I wouldn't be surprised if some of those journalists were hoping to get real-time responses from family members back home watching their loved ones in combat.

To be blunt, if this (today's kidnapping) happened to another network, it would not surprise me to see a FNC trying to get an interview with their families.

[msmagoo54]

Yes, I've seen this before. But, Fox has more to lose than does CNN on this issue. It's only a story for CNN. It's life-and-death situation for Fox.

I still think Fox is playing this the way it should be played.