Melissa Fung

[jdobbin]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...?hub=TopStories

During 28 days in captivity, journalist Mellissa Fung was blindfolded and chained to a wall inside a tiny, darkened cave somewhere in Afghanistan's isolated mountains.

The CBC asked for the media blackout because they were told by security experts that it was her best hope of being released.

I was listening to some Tory supporter who criticized the CBC blackout and said it was another example of why they disliked the CBC but Graeme Smith of the Globe and Mail says the feeling of some security expert that with the Canadian election on, media attention would have probably led to her very public execution.

Harper should thank the CBC for being quiet. Had it gone public and she was executed, it could have turned the election into a Tory defeat.

[fellowtraveller]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...?hub=TopStories

The CBC asked for the media blackout because they were told by security experts that it was her best hope of being released.

I was listening to some Tory supporter who criticized the CBC blackout and said it was another example of why they disliked the CBC but Graeme Smith of the Globe and Mail says the feeling of some security expert that with the Canadian election on, media attention would have probably led to her very public execution.

Harper should thank the CBC for being quiet. Had it gone public and she was executed, it could have turned the election into a Tory defeat.

Dumb, dumb, dumb- but no surprise to see an idiotic, incorrect and nauseatingly partisan post like this..

Harper and the govt knew about this from the start, and were proactive in keeping the lid on this so as to keep Ms Fung alive. It worked.

Props to Harper, Foreign Affairs, the Canadian military command, the Afghan govt, Fungs family, the CBC. other news organizations for collectively keeping their mouths shut and eventually getting her out.

[jdobbin]

Dumb, dumb, dumb- but no surprise to see an idiotic, incorrect and nauseatingly partisan post like this..

Actually, that wasn't my comment. That was the comment on some of the non-CBC programs on TV and radio today.

Harper and the govt knew about this from the start, and were proactive in keeping the lid on this so as to keep Ms Fung alive. It worked.

Knew about it but the CBC was the driving factor behind keeping it quiet and managed to get other media around the world to keep quiet as well.

Props to Harper, Foreign Affairs, the Canadian military command, the Afghan govt, Fungs family, the CBC. other news organizations for collectively keeping their mouths shut and eventually getting her out.

Don't think I disagree with that. I'm just saying that all day long on call in shows people were talking shots at the CBC about being quiet and extending that argument to why the Crown should be dropped. I think you would call that dumb and partisan, no?

[scribblet]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...?hub=TopStories

The CBC asked for the media blackout because they were told by security experts that it was her best hope of being released.

I was listening to some Tory supporter who criticized the CBC blackout and said it was another example of why they disliked the CBC but Graeme Smith of the Globe and Mail says the feeling of some security expert that with the Canadian election on, media attention would have probably led to her very public execution.

Harper should thank the CBC for being quiet. Had it gone public and she was executed, it could have turned the election into a Tory defeat.

Now that's reaching LOL Slow news day today

[madmax]

Now that's reaching LOL Slow news day today

This isn't a slow news day article.

This is an important article.

1) She was kidnapped by the bandits.

2) Luckily she wasn't kidnapped by Taliban as they explained they would have had her executed.

3) Luckily the bandits of another religious group didn't try to market her off to the Taliban.

Meanwhile, all parties were involved in her successful release. The CBC, The Prime Minister and Karzai amongst that group.

Following the writings of the Christian Group caught in Iraq, they feel that they would have been more successful in their release had it been publicised earlier.

You never know how these things can turn out.

THis time, it was for the best. We should be cheering.

[jdobbin]

Now that's reaching LOL Slow news day today

Is it? Guess it re-emphasizes that even the relative security of Kabul has deteriorated, It shows that the response to kidnappings is fluid. Report it early? Don't report it? The advice has gone back and forth. This time the advice was to keep quiet and let the security forces work.

Had the story been publicized earlier, it is unknown what the response might have been. Some of the NGOs believe you reveal the kidnapping early or risk losing your people.

One thing is clear, the story would have taken the focus off the election. In fact, the kidnapping and the election at the same time and publicity around it could have been very bad for Fung. Some analysts were saying Harper was lucky that the CBC decided to go with the latest strategy in terms of kidnapping.

What I found to be reaching was some people on the call in shows hammering the CBC on how they acted. I guess whatever it takes to end the network, huh?

Edited November 10, 2008 by jdobbin

[Oleg Bach]

The CBC kept it's mouth shut to protect it's own - wonder if they should enforce a policy of shutting up totally? Might be good for national security. It's bizzare how CNN would broadcast what would have been military secrets to the Taliban and every other foe. In a bygone era the government would have arrested them all for supporting the enemy. If you want to win a bar fight you do not give warning or threat...you blindside the creep. The same works in reverse - if you want to survive you do not feed the demons information - we all have huge mouths that may be our demise - information must be spread with skill as should dis-information - you have to have vision - we are blind.

[betsy]

The CBC asked for the media blackout because they were told by security experts that it was her best hope of being released.

I was listening to some Tory supporter who criticized the CBC blackout and said it was another example of why they disliked the CBC but Graeme Smith of the Globe and Mail says the feeling of some security expert that with the Canadian election on, media attention would have probably led to her very public execution.

Harper should thank the CBC for being quiet. Had it gone public and she was executed, it could have turned the election into a Tory defeat.

CBC has to keep quiet since they were told by security experts that it was her best hope. If CBC ignored the experts' advice and gone public and caused the death or further endangered the hostage, yes it may have caused Tory defeat....but just imagine how it would've been for CBC. Heads would roll!

Harper need not thank the CBC. CBC was just protecting its own neck.

[jdobbin]

CBC has to keep quiet since they were told by security experts that it was her best hope. If CBC ignored the experts' advice and gone public and caused the death or further endangered the hostage, yes it may have caused Tory defeat....but just imagine how it would've been for CBC. Heads would roll!

Other experts had advised about not keeping silent. Would have heads rolled if those were the experts were the correct ones?

Harper need not thank the CBC. CBC was just protecting its own neck.

And the CBC could have had it wrong.

In any event, some people criticized the CBC for how they acted and said it was a reason why they should be disbanded.