absolutely alex’s adventures & times

In the end, money talks.

Never mind that the Bancroft family has apparently insisted on retaining the Wall Street Journal’s top editors and wrangled an agreement to limit Murdoch’s ability to replace the newspaper’s top dogs.

You just know that it’s a matter of time before Murdoch gets his way. He always does anyway. That’s the sad reality of the power of his billions.

Murdoch’s $5 billion offer, or $60 per share, was just too good to pass up, especially with the younger and less wealthy elements of the Bancroft clan. Ever the shrewd businessman, Murdoch further sweetened the deal by offering to pay for the costs that the Bancrofts have incurred by engaging expert advice from bankers and lawyers, on the deal. That came up to some $40 million.

Despite the news of the Bancrofts caving in being splashed all over the place, the newspaper’s lifeblood, its reporters and editors, have yet to get an official announcement from the management.

No wonder they were reportedly standing round drinking whiskey and mourning the future (or lack thereof) of their careers and the newspaper.

Now that Murdoch has gotten his paws on his most-coveted prize, he would be an even more formidable force, being in charge of one of the most influential newspapers in the US. He would pitch it in even fiercer competition against international papers such as the Financial Times and the New York Times. He especially has a bone to pick with the New York Times.

It’s not just in the newspaper industry that he would soon be a stronger force to be reckoned with.

In the television news arena, especially in financial news, he is likely to become even more powerful. His Fox network has shaken up the cable television industry, especially the news division, with the right-wing biased Fox News. He’s now closer to establishing a financial news channel and with the resources he could harness through the Wall Street Journal and the Dow Jones newswire, he is going to give rivals like CNBC and Bloomberg a serious challenge, and could even eventually dominate cable financial news.

But at least, journalists should rejoice at one act of courage in the face of the cynical march towards money and rewards.

Leslie Hill, a Bancroft family member and a board member, resigned in protest against the deal. Let it not be on Hill’s conscience, but that of the other Bancroft members who were seduced by the deal, when the standard of the Wall Street Journal goes down the drain in pursuit of Murdoch’s agenda.

After constantly tightening the screw, Hamas, which now runs Gaza, has managed to get a Palestinian militant group holding BBC reporter Alan Johnston to set him free.

The Army of God had held the reporter hostage since March 12, or for nearly four months.

He was reported to be back in the BBC’s Gaza office, in good health.

Television footage showed Johnston exiting a building and entering a white car while accompanied by armed men. Johnston was handed over to the Hamas authorities.

Hamas, which beat its Palestinian rival Fatah to gain control of Gaza in June, had made freeing Johnston a top priority, vowing to “use all means to secure his life and to free him”. Two weeks ago, hopes had been running high that Johnston would be immediately released, thanks to Hamas’ insistence.

But the members of the Army of God had said they were not complying and even threatened to kill Johnston if their demand for the release of several Palestinian prisoners, some of whom are held in the UK. The Army of God even heightened fears for Johnston’s life when they showed a video of the reporter with an explosives belt strapped onto him. They had also released other videos of Johnston.

The BBC reports that on Monday, Hamas security forces had detained members of the Army of God in Gaza.

“The arrests were carried out after all negotiation attempts… failed to free the abducted journalist,” the Hamas-run interior ministry said in a statement. “The arrests are targeting figures who were involved in the abduction of the journalist.”

The BBC has put an online petition on its website, urging people to sign it for Johnston’s freedom.

Things have taken a decidedly worse turn for abducted BBC reporter Alan Johnston today, as his captors released a video of him with an explosives vest strapped to him.

The BBC showed a new video tape that is purportedly released by Johnston’s captors, a little-known Gaza-based group known as the Army of Islam.

“The situation now is very serious. As you can see I have been dressed in what is an explosive belt, which the kidnappers say will be detonated if there was any attempt to storm this area,” Johnston said in the tape. “Captors tell me that very promising negotiations were ruined when the Hamas movement and the British government decided to press for a military solution to this kidnapping.”

The Washington Post said the newest developments could be the sign of a split between the Dagmoush clan, which controls the Army of Islam, and the Islamic gunmen holding Johnston. Part of the complications also involve the fear that Hamas, which now runs Gaza after winning a bloody showdown against Fatah, will move against the Dagmoush clan after Johnston’s release.

Hamas has made it a priority to release Johnston after it came to power. Hopes had raised for Johnston’s safe return soon, as the Hamas leadership had vowed to free him, and also prevent other foreign journalists from being held against their wills.

The Army of Islam had demanded the release of prisoners, such as Abu Qatada, a Palestinian-born Muslim cleric held in the UK on suspicion of being linked to al-Qaeda.

Johnston has been in captivity for over 100 days, after he was snatched in the middle of March in Gaza City.

In what is perhaps a setback for the release of kidnapped BBC reporter Alan Johnston, his kidnappers have gone to the media, not with news of his freedom, but with threats to kill him if their demands were not met.

Gaza-based extremist group, the Army of Islam, which had said it has held Johnston since March, denied the Hamas’ line last Friday that Johnston’s release was imminent.

Hopes had earlier been raised that Johnston might see freedom soon after Hamas took control of Gaza late last week after a week of bloody fighting with its rival Palestinian faction, Fatah.

“Freeing this detainee has not been part of any deal with any faction or organisation. What appears on television screens and through the media here and there are untrue,” an Army of Islam spokesman said on al-Jazeera television channel. “If they do not meet our demands there will be no release for that detainee and if things become more difficult … then we would seek God’s satisfaction by slaughtering this journalist.”

The Army of Islam wants the release of Islamist prisoners, in particular Palestinian-born cleric Abu Qatada, who is detained in the UK.

Hamas has been anxious to secure Johnston’s release as it tries to show the world that it is battling the lawlessness in Gaza which its says is due to the lack of good governance by Fatah. It was also a sign to the international community that Hamas had no intention of threatening or holding foreign journalists.

In many ways, this would be a test for Hamas. It is anxious to prove that it has control over Gaza and has the ability to bring a semblance of stability there, even as most predict its failure, due to Gaza’s isolation and its dwindling supplies of electricity and food. International governments have reacted to Hamas’ victory there by bolstering their support of its rival, the Palestinian Authority’s President Mahmoud Abbas. The US has pledged to stop its embargo against the Palestinian Authorities, while Israel had said it could work with a Palestinian government that does not have Hamas as a part of it.

Treated as a pariah state by the international community, Gaza will face much hardship in the coming weeks. It would be to Hamas’ advanatage to score a public relations victory by securing Johnston’s release.

Perhaps Hamas’ control of Gaza will yield at least one good thing — the freedom of captured BBC journalist Alan Johnston.

After a week of bitter fighting with Fatah, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s forces, Hamas has gained the upper hand in Gaza. And one of the first things they have done, to their credit, is to announce that they have contacted Johnston’s kidnappers and demanded his release, according to the BBC.

Calling Mr Johnston a “guest of the Palestinian people”, a Hamas spokesman said Mr Johnston should be treated with welcome amongst the Palestinian people.

Mr Johnston went missing since the middle of March, and the Army of Islam, a Palestinian group, claims to have him, releasing a video of Mr Johnston earlier this month. In the video, Mr Johnston had said he was well-treated by his kidnappers.

The Hamas spokesman went beyond just demanding Mr Johnston’s release. He said Hamas won’t tolerate the captivity of foreign journalists.

Despite the bloodshed and power struggle, Hamas had pledged to work with President Abbas, recognizing his authority.

But the reality of the situation on the ground is more complex. Gunmen are known to be wielding the real power, not necessarily the politicians. There is no guarantee that they would follow orders from politicians.

We can only hope that Hamas will be able to enforce some form of discipline over its victorious forces in Gaza and direct them towards working to honor their pledge of freeing Johnston and ensure no more journalists are kidnapped by fringe groups.

Perhaps Venezuelans have finally had enough of the antics of their president, Hugo Chavez.

Tens of thousands took to the streets of the nation’s capital, Caracas, protesting against Chavez’s decision not to renew the license of the country’s oldest private TV station, RCTV.

RCTV has been known to be critical of the Venezuelan government and is allied to the opposition in Venezuela. Chavez has also accused the station of supporting a failed coup against him in 2002, the BBC said.

When RCTV is shut down, Chavez is taking away the well-loved telenovelas it produces and an independent voice, while replacing it with a state-owned station.

Chavez’s move has been condemned by international groups such as Amnesty International and even the Roman Catholic Church.

But the comforting thing is that ordinary Venezuelans are bravely getting into action, probably fed-up with the erosion of civil liberties that Chavez has been progressively chipping away at.

It’s been one take-over by the state after another, since Chavez’s re-election by a landslide earlier this year. The state has renationalized oil refineries, and is in the process of nationalizing telecoms while threats have been voiced about wielding state control over banks. At the same time, Chavez wants Venezuela out of international organizations like the World Bank.

This weekend’s march in favor of press freedom is hopefully the start of a series of challenges ordinary Venezuelans will mount against the increasingly radicalized Venezuelan government. It would also be a reminder to Chavez that there is a limit to the people’s tolerance to the road he is taking the country down, and hopefully, temper his next actions.

BBC journalist Alan Johnston, who has been missing since March 12, has reportedly been kidnapped by a Gaza-based group called Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam).

In a tape submitted to the Arabic news channel al-Jazeera, the group claims they have Mr Johnston, showed his BBC work pass and demanded the release of Muslim prisoners held by the UK, specifically the release of Abu Qatana, a Palestinian-born cleric currently in British custody. According to the BBC, there isn’t much information about Jaish al-Islam other than it being a Palestinian group.

The Palestinian government says it is still working on securing Mr Johnston’s release and believes he is still alive. Here’s hoping they will soon get Mr Johnston free.

Sign the online petition to free Alan Johnston here.

Today is World Press Freedom day, a celebration of the principles of press freedom – an essential to democracy and a fundamental human right.

Sadly, it’s also a sobering reminder that 2006 was the worst year on record for journalists – over 150 have lost their lives in the line of duty. Many others have been attacked, maimed, injured, kidnapped or harassed. UNESCO says that “being a journalist has never been more dangerous” as “over the past decade, we have witnessed a dramatic escalation of violence against journalists, media professionals and associated personnel.”

But now more than ever, as the number of conflicts and post-conflict zones seem to be ever increasing, we need journalists brave enough to deliver stories that will shed light on atrocities, bring about accountability and relay the truth to the world. Journalists who risk life and limb to do that deserve our respect and support.

More also has to be done to punish those who commit crimes against journalists. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 85% of all journalists’ murderers faced neither investigation nor prosecution for their crimes, during the last 15 years. “Sometimes authorities are simply not interested in investigating the case, sometimes they deliberately seek to hide the truth by not allowing investigation into the matter,” said the committee.

We cannot accept this state of affairs. Journalists have to be kept safe and free to do their job. It isn’t just for them, it’s also for us. We deserve to have a free flow of information and to stay informed.

“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost” -Thomas Jefferson, 1786