The terrorists know this is above all a PR war, so when a Fox News reporter and a cameraman are kidnapped by unidentified gunment in Hamastan ——— previously known as Gaza ——— you have to wonder why. Bibi Netanyahu remarked a week ago that the BBC was reporting the Israeli side pretty well, until they moved their offices to Beirut. The reason is obvious: When in Hezbolistan, do like the Hezbos do. 

Chances are that Fox News has been trying to telephone (and more)Hamas all day to get their people released. They might be freed with an "understanding" that Fox will now be nicer to terrorists. Because that's what terrorists do ——— they scare the daylights out of people, or kill them to set an example.

Obviously we want the Fox reporter and camera man to be released unharmed and unintimidated. But for the war as a whole, it is vital for the news to become much, much more fair and balanced. Millions of lives depend upon whether a handful of media people tell the truth ——— which has been a rarity so far. Fox News has made a big effort to bring more truthful reporting to a thoroughly corrupt field of journalism, and it has done very well as a result in the marketplace. We need all the balance we can get.

It is entirely possible, therefore, that Hamas has deliberately targeted Fox for terror. If you want to see a journalist scared of a terrorist, just watch Mike Wallace's Sixty Minutes interview with Ahmadinejad. Mahmoud just bulldozed Wallace when he started to ask the wrong questions.

So ——— if we see Fox News churning out puff—pieces on the nice Hamas or Hezbo social services organization, we'll know how to read them. The other "news" channels may also start flattering Hamas just to stay safe. So keep an eye on Fair and Balanced in the coming weeks.

James Lewis   8 15 06