Channel 4 pays £150,000 ransom for kidnapped journo
“Channel 4 paid a £150,000 ransom to secure the release of a documentary film maker who was held hostage for three months after trying to make contact with Al-Qaeda’s second in command.
Sean Langan, 43, was held by criminals linked to the Taliban at a terrorist training camp in a lawless border region of Pakistan.
His kidnappers threatened to shoot the journalist and his interpreter if a ransom was not paid.
The two men, who were working for Channel 4’s Dispatches programme, were released after an Afghan go-between hired by the broadcaster delivered a briefcase full of cash to their kidnappers. The Foreign Office is believed to have warned Channel 4 against paying any money, fearing that it could inspire copy-cat abductions of westerners. “
Doesn’t this now make any journo a cash cow? I’m with the whole concept of getting them back safely, but now they have put anyone else at risk as the crims know cash will be paid if they knab journo’s.
Geezz. Paying the ransom is one thing .. we all know it happens, but ANNOUNCING it it so openly … that’s definitely irresponsible. They’ve basically just put a price tag on the head of any journalist. Tobie
Ransoms have been quietly paid in Afghanistan and Iraq by most of the governments that say they are not. Especially the loudest ones. Broadcasting it like that is going to cause nightmares for everyone.
Tom, Daniel, Bill et al Sean’s son attends the same nursery as my youngest son and I’m sure the ransom was not paid without C4 thinking of the consequences and the probable precedent it may set but a son and family have their father back and that is the most important thing.
Everyone else will just have to be more vigilant and more so if your not working for C4.
If you read the linked story (which was co-written by my friend Mr Starkey) carefully it mentions that the abductors were not even Taliban but a bunch of crooks. Crooks are crooks and there are always plenty of them in every war zone.
Bill there are plenty of crooks in your neck of the woods!
There are two sides to this story. The first is that Sean managed to get home, which is brilliant. That isn’t the issue. The issue is with the fucktards, and yes that could be a bit strong, but also warranted, who decided that it would make a great story for C4 to tell the world.
That single ego-enhancing action, has put the majority of reporters/photographers/fixers at risk for doing what they do. Who in their right mind thought it was a good thing to brag about?
Pay the ransom, keep it silent. You can bet the criminals wouldn’t be phoning Anderson for a scoop, so why did C4 feel the need to?
Then again, this is the same company that should be arrested for torture of millions, Big Brother is far worse than any conflict!
mark, I’m all for a guy getting home to his wife and kids. However… I can’t agree more with Daniel. Broadcasting this is FUGGED us all in the arse. What this does is make us all bigger targets of opportunity for the Muj Cong or crooks or whatever to come after us. Fug, most of us are thought of as spooks (and admit it or not, we are thought of that way) so why add this to the pile?
just for the record, I clarified my last sentence.*
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