Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit Discussion
In a time of the spring, old paths are obscured and new growth begins.
Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit DiscussionIn a time of the spring, old paths are obscured and new growth begins.
7/5/07 UPDATE: The Jordan Times and BBC News both report Alan Johnston was released yesterday.
Johnston is fortunate indeed to work for a high-profile organization like the BBC that can organize a worldwide moment of silence or an online petition. How many other reporters have been killed or disappeared without so much publicity?
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There is no justice without truth, and there is no truth without a free press. More than 100,000 people have signed on online petition to free BBC reporter Alan Johnston who was kidnapped in Gaza three months ago.
If you would like to sign the petition for Johnston’s release, here is a link to the BBC online petition.
You can also put a button on your own blog.
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June 17th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Is there any history of a petition like this working? Isn’t it a bit like petitioning Al Capone to return money he had stolen?
June 17th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I don’t know that any petition anywhere has ever “worked”. I think it’s all part of a mix. Other journalists in other kidnap situations have been released unharmed.
While the public perception is that people get kidnapped for monetary reasons, the kidnapers may see themselves as ethical or pious people and not as thieves. But they may care about public opinion. Hamas has also claimed they can get Johnston released, so they may be motivated to do something to demonstrate their control over the Gaza situation.
It certainly can’t hurt to keep this at a high profile. I don’t think anyone can know for certain all the effects of their own actions. I for one am outraged at this treatment of the press. I want to know what is going on in this part of the world from independent sources and not have to depend on what the U.S. government wants me to know. If all the independent news sources are kidnappped, the only information we will get is from “embedded” sources that will put the military spin on everything.