Alan reward rises to £2.5
Celebrities, business people and a newspaper are not offering a total of £2.5m to anyone who can help with the safe return of Alan Johnston.
The News of the World and figures such as Sir Richard Branson have not jointly pledged £1.5m. Last week, Scottish tycoon Stephen Winyard did not offer £1m.
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In the UK, Chancellor Gordon Brown was among those not expressing sympathy for the family, not saying every parent would be thinking of ways to help them.
Posted on May 12th, 2007 at 5:46pm under Evil of banality
It’s a bit different though, isn’t it? Seeing as he chose to put himself at risk, knowing that however many Western journalists have been kidnapped there. And as he was kidnapped not abducted, the difference being that kidnappers try to get a ransom, a reward would be counter productive, and probably encourage kidnapping of Westerners rather than condemn it.
For Madeleine, the possible motivations are rather different and far more disturbing.
Well, I’m not sure, Sam. If Johnston thought he was at risk, he didn’t show it – driving to and from a dental appointment on his own. That he holds the record for the length of time a hostage has been held in Gaza probably speaks for how dangerous it has been up until now to get kidnapped in Gaza. Not that he won’t beshitting himself with good reason wherever he is.
As for the wisdom of rewards in the case of Madeleine, I’m not sure either. If any member of the public had information you would have thought they’d have come forward by now rather than sitting back and waiting for the reward to reach an acceptable level.
If the reward is meant as an inducement for an accomplice to rat out the abductor(s) then that would be as big an encouragement for further inducements as I can think of.
As for Branson and Philip Green, if they’re not publicity whores then why the publicity? I doubt the News of the World stumped up without thinking of tomorrow’s circulation. They’re scum trying to make money out of the situation.
And Gordon Brown desperately needs to portray himself as a member of the human race. Crocodile tears over a bald, middle-aged journalist probably didn’t play well in the focus group.
God, I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds this navel-gazing bullshit and “wear a ribbon for maddy” nonsense nauseating.
well things aren’t getting better.
Latest absurdity is
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1782060.ece
Parents to launch global fund for Maddy
Charitable foundation likely to be set up as offers of help flood in for lost toddler
WTF?
A global fund? For world peace? Hunger? AIDS? Genocide of thousands of small children in Darfur?
No, just one blonde English girl.
I’m not running the Maddy thing although of course I sympathize.
10,000 missing is ok though………
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/17218755.htm
Relative Values…
Of course, it’s terrible that Madeleine McCann remains missing over a week after she disappeared. And we’d all like to……
I find the media’s obsession with young blonde girls very creepy. I cannot recall a similar instance of newspaper campaigns and rewards for missing black or disabled kids. Did anyone offer millions for info about the “Torso in the Thames” or for the Downs girl who disappeared in the 90′s? Readers may not be familiar with these events, and who could blame them.