For CSM journalist Jill Carroll, anway:
The night before journalist Jill Carroll’s release, her captors said they had one final demand as the price of her freedom: She would have to make a video praising her captors and attacking the United States, according to Jim Carroll (ed. – her father).
Well, that makes sense, and no harm done. She’s free to repudiate the statements now, and after all, she’s only a journalist.
Military folks, of course, are held to a different standard.
That doesn’t make us better, or her worse – Even in captivity, a military member represents the country they serve, while a journalist maintains only a private character.
(H/T to FbL over at John’s place for the link)
Thanks for the mention, Lex. Btw, John has a post about the UCMJ guideliness on the subject, and Carroll’s critics.
Kat also makes some good points about why she said what she said right after her release when she was still in Iraq.
Her actual statement.
“At any rate, fearing retribution from my captors, I did not speak freely. Out of fear I said I wasn’t threatened. In fact, I was threatened many times,” she said. “Also, at least two false statements about me have been widely aired: That I refused to travel and cooperate with the U.S. military and that I refused to discuss my captivity with U.S. officials. Again, neither is true.”
Ms. Carroll: I apologize for thinking the worst about your pre-release video. Perhaps those moonbat folks who were freed by American soldiers 2 weeks ago filtered my patience lens.
Maybe years of 50/50 MSM accuracy in reporting also clouded the lens….
I am glad you are away from the SOBs.
B2
Everybody’s got their RWR singing all the time these days, B2. Hard to fight the good fight forward, when you’re always having to kill snakes in the rear.
Makes a man edgy.
B2 – I hope you don’t mind if I tag along to your apology to Ms. Carroll. I couldn’t have put it better anyway.
Brian
There was post up somewhere that actually pointed out that the blogosphere got way too far ahead of itself in this case and this proves that sometimes its good to have and editor. Link is here: http://tks.nationalreview.com/archives/093967.asp
Nice post. What is really nuts is thinking that anything a hostage says is true.
Friendly fire incident. One dead, one wounded and one released.