Haiku 062209

a squirrel's nest
of twigs and leaves...
summer home

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Recently, we read the following:

Washington Post : “Reporters Escape Taliban Captors” by Keith Richburg

"A New York Times reporter kidnapped by the Taliban and held for seven months in the rugged mountainous region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border escaped Friday, along with a local Afghan reporter, by climbing over a wall and finding a nearby Pakistani army base, according to the newspaper, U.S. officials and the journalist's family.

"David Rohde, 41, was taken captive Nov. 10 along with local reporter Tahir Ludin, 35, and their driver while Rohde was researching a book on Afghanistan. News organizations, including The Washington Post, did not report on the abduction at the request of the Times and Rohde's relatives, who feared that publication of the news could endanger the lives of the captives....

"According to sources, the FBI worked closely with the Times in Afghanistan to negotiate his release. There were intermittent communications with the kidnappers, who also provided several 'proof of life' videos confirming Rohde was alive. But sources said the family insisted on using private security consultants to resolve the case, and it was those consultants who insisted on an absolute news blackout…"

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And we thought:

…Rohde's escape is fortunate. But what's most fortunate is he’s a member of a fraternity that has great resources (influence, connections, funds) and takes care of its own. Just wondering -- would this media fraternity agree as well to a “news blackout” for a private individual or a public figure, given the same "life-or-death" situation? Why do some of us doubt it will?...