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Hopefully this is not a repost. For those who do not know Mellissa Fung was a reporter from Vancouver who was kidnapped and held for four weeks in Afghanistan.

I just started listening to it but it seems pretty interesting. I can only imagine how messed up it must of been :S

http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/news/features/invu-fung-cbc.wmv

   

From what I can read, she was on an unauthorised or freelance visit with only the protection she could hire. With a Canadian travel advisory against going to dangerous places, I question how much support from the government she expected or she deserves.

   

In know. Apparently this is not the first time that journalists have just shown up in war zones. Outrageous!

Fuck, you're dumb.

   

Stupidity. But that aside, given her exemplary reporting credentials, blatent disregard for hers and others own personal safety, she's probably on the short list to be the next Governor General of Canada........... if the Liberals ever get elected.

   

She obviously got more help from the Harper government than Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi got from the Liberals. I know it's hard for Liberals to remember things so here's a reminder:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/kazemi/

   

Not as dumb as the little Asian girl that was walking around where Canadian military men get killed. She is stupid and lucky her head and neck are not separated.

   

Are you equally critical of Christie Blatchford, or Rosie Dimanno, both of whom have travelled extensively, without Canadian escort, in Afghanistan and reported positively on the actions of Canadian Troops. Or do you reserve your criticism for those reporters from a network you don't like to watch?





First off, there's no such thing as an "unauthorized visit" in today's day and age. Reporters are free to go where they want, when they want, provided they accept the inherent risks associated with it. She did. And paid the price. The government did what it's expected to do. They worked hard to free a Canadian Citizen.

Personally, I think she's a pretty ballsy chick. Much moreso than the average basement-dwelling internet junkie, whose combat experience is invariably limited to vigorous bouts of Full Spectrum Warrior and Call of Duty 4.

   

No StuntmanMike your actions are just that "yours"

If this little Asian girl thinks she needs to be there to justify her job, fine. But when she gets kidnapped or killed I won't give 2 shit about her. Remember this is the place where they threw acid on girls going to school.

Oh BTW if she is from the CBC I really don’t give 2 shits.

   

Reporters and citizens are indeed free to roam where and when they want and I don't have a problem with that. I'm just saying that I don't know what kind of support or security she was expecting from the Canadian government.


I'm pretty sure you are right off base however reguarding Christie Blatchford. It's impossible to believe she didn't recieve support and help with her book: "Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army". She may have been given the freedom to travel but the CDN forces knew she was there.

   

You're very critical of this "little Asian girl." But she held her own, and I'm quite proud of her.

Are you equally critical of war correspondents like Pierre Berton? Ross Munro? Peter Lynch? Those guys were literally on the beach during the Normandy invasions. How about Peter Arnett, who was captured by Iraqis during Gulf War 1.

And as I mentioned before, what about Christie, and Rosie? I'll tell you what. Why don't you go out and find a couple of front line, Afghan Vets who have negative things to say about those two.

They are tough fucking chicks, and I'd take them in a foxhole over the average internet poster any day of the week.

   

So why would you criticize the Liberals for that, when you've just said in your earlier post that the Canadian government should do the same thing the LIberals did with Kazemi--i.e. nothing? It seems to me you should be applauding the Liberals for how they dealt with Kazemi.

P.S. Fuck, you're dumb.

   

ridenrain

I don't see that she has a right to "expect" anything. However, there's a fairly solid tradition that indicates strong, first world nations do what they can to protect their citizens if it's obvious they've been mistreated abroad. Rome protected it's citizens, America, the U.K., Canada and Western Europe still do. I think that's a good thing.

Legitimate reporters aren't the Khadrs, or Christine Spencer/David Lamont.

Why does that upset you?




I'm not sure what your point is here. Obviously, she went out on patrol with the troops, was billeted with them, and got to know them. She interviewed them, and the soldiers complied.

You seem to suggest that compromises her.

How's that? Are you suggesting that any reporter who accepts assistance from the military is compromised and not to be taken seriously?

   

Little "Asian" girl. Another reason why hwacker doesn't give two shits. He's like a pay toilet, isn't he?--he doesn't give a shit for nohting.

   

I don't want to get drawn into some vituperative discussion that all boils down to partisan nonsense.

I voted CPC in the last election, and if they can keep doing a good job, I'll do so again.

But just because I gave them my vote this term doesn't mean that everything the Liberals/CBC/Mainstream Media/ insert villian here___ does is evil.

Guys like Hwacker and Ridenrain view everything through a partisan lense, and to be honest, it's a bit silly and boring.

It's particularly interesting that RidenRain chooses as his Avatar the image of a murderous, anti-social, and unsuccessful, 19th Century Australian criminal. Not particularly representative of traditional Conservative values if you ask me!

   

Look: I'm happy she's safe.
I heard her CBC reports and she was as brave as a captive could be under the situation. I'm just saying that people who wonder into war zones without clearance or authority can't expect their government to always rescue them.

To highlight that, I referenced Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi as an example. She was far from safey and she was murdered by a foreign govenment with little to no repercussions. These are hero's that I thought people like you would remember.

   

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