No news of US journalist kidnapped in Iraq (update: group threatens death)

[Barrett808]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US State Department said it was still without news of an American journalist kidnapped in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq last weekend.

Micah Garen, 36, founder of Four Corners Media of New York and Colorado, a company that produces documentary videos, photos and text, was abducted Saturday along with his Iraqi interpreter, Amir Doshe, in a Nasiriyah marketplace.

In the days prior to the abuction, Garen had been investigating the destruction of an ambulance by Italian troops, and the death of the vehicle's passengers, according to his message exchanges with friends and a press rights group.

"What I can tell you is that we are in contact with his family and fiancee," said deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli. "Our embassy is in contact with local authorities and forces on the ground in Nasiriyah to try to ascertain his whereabouts."

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040818/pl_afp/us_iraq_journalist

[Enrico]

1. Who's still stupid enough to willingly go to Iraq?

If you like getting your head chopped off, I suppose going to
Iraq might be worth it. Than again, "Four Corners
Media" might be offering its embeddies enough money to
retard journalists who don't value their own lives.

[Lex]

3. Duh. Journalists have, thankfully, undertaken the task of reporting

on EVERY WAR since we humans figured out how to talk.

What's the matter with you? Don't you want journalists there to tell us what is going on?

Or would you rather stick with the official Government party-line, comrade?

Thank God brave journalists have gone to Iraq to try to report what is happening there.

[Enrico]

8. You think we're getting unbiased reporting?

Al Jazeera was doing a fine job of reporting (without a U.S.
government bias) on the situation in Iraq before the Iraqi
government kicked them out... and I'm not aware of any of
their journalists being captured by Iraqi insurgents...

[Lex]

11. Do you think no US journalists should be in Iraq?

And no, I didn't comment on whether the reporting was biased or unbiased. That wasn't my point by a long shot.

My point was that it is madness to imply that US journalists shouldn't be in Iraq.

[DUreader]

4. Was he 'in bed' with the mil? Here is his web site

http://www.fourcornersmedia.net/index.htm

http://www.fourcornersmedia.net/Iraqarchaeology/archaeology.htm

http://www.fourcornersmedia.net/Iraq/uprising.htm

[janx]

7. This is an independent outfit. Not "embedded," thank God.

The most interesting and thorough accounts of Iraq so far have been written by independent journalists like this one. Some of them have very good reputations and have written for conventional media. They're often lauded in their fields.

But to get the real stories, they have to get out there. That's not going to happen in an "embedded" situation.

God bless this guy. I hope so much he makes it.

[Robbien]

10. Why? Because there is a story there that is being suppressed

Go ahead plug Iraq into Google and all you will get are the stories that have originated here in the states.

You'll get stories about those 7 kids who were kidnapped, Halliburton's overcharging, what Kerry/Bush are saying, the price of oil, the foiled bomb in Italy, the military killing two Iraqi prisoners, the GOPer saying war was unjustified, and a rumor that Sadr surrendered. And a whole bunch of stories about reporters being threatened, kidnapped, arrested or killed.

That's it. But what is happening in Iraq?

[janx]

2. Damn, I hope he's all right. These independent journalists

are the bravest and most thorough ones we have.

[DUreader]

9. from his site

http://www.fourcornersmedia.net/zerotolerance.htm

Zero Tolerance is a short documentary that looks at the New York Police Department's Zero Tolerance policy towards protestors during the 2002 World Economic Forum through the eyes of a 76 year old protestor who was arrested.

Watch the Documentary
Length: 8 minutes
Format: Quicktime, Real Media

[Dover]

5. The only ones hostile to the media in iraq are the U.S. and coalition

forces. If they want to find him, that's where to look. In the meantime the Iraqi police (under U.S. authority) have threatened to kill ALL journalists who don't leave Najaf.

Now why wouldn't they allow any witnesses there?

[genius]

6. Our government probably had him killed.

[Barrett808]

12. Reuters: Group to Kill U.S. Hostage if U.S. Doesn't Quit Najaf

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iraqi militants who said they captured a U.S. journalist last week have threatened to kill him if U.S. forces do not pull out from the holy city of Najaf, Al Jazeera television reported on Thursday.

The television showed footage of a man with a mustache kneeling in front of five masked men holding rifles. No audio could be heard but the channel identified the man as Micah Garen, and said the group called itself the Martyrs Brigades.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040818/ts_nm/iraq_american_hostage_dc

[Robbien]

13. But wait a minute, isn't our news reporting that Sadr said he

will leave Najaf? And this new report says he wants the US to leave Najaf.

Without the reporters, we have no idea what is happening there.