大象传媒

I nominate Gerry Adams for taking republicanism into politics so successfully.

has to be the chuckle brothers ... for giving IKEA more advertising than any other politicians in history

My person of the year is Alan Johnston who was 大象传媒's correspondent in Gaza. He disappeared from public view in early March and reappeared 114 days later in early July. 大象传媒 initially said he was kidnapped by a "terrorist group" the first and only time I can recall 大象传媒 using such terminology without characterizing it by ascribing it to someone else as in the phrase "President Bush's so called war on terror." Immediately, calls for his release began pouring in and many including his own father said he was a "friend of the Palestinian People." This prompted several questions including why was he still there given the well known danger when every other correspondent of any large international media had already left and given that this was an old story which has been told countless times in countless ways and how can you call someone who is a "friend" to the subject he is writing about a reporter and not instead a paid propagandist? This alone was more than enough to put the final nail in the coffin of 大象传媒's credibility as far as I am concerned, everything I see, hear, or read from them taken as possibly false subject to further investigation and verification before it is taken as true.

When Johnston reappeared, he was shown on TV in Jerusalem within hours looking tired but otherwise none the worse for his experience. He said he had been given the food he'd asked for, a radio to keep his spirits up, and had been told early on that he would not be killed but later told that a decision would be made shortly if he were to live or die. His demeanor was in sharp contrast to that of 15 Royal Marines taken prisoner by Iran and displayed on TV around the world during his disappearance. Within only a few days, hardly a week, these men (and a woman) who were prepared and trained to fight and possibly die in combat appeared very frightened and were clearly forced to read statements they didn't believe displaying enormous stress according to American psychological experts analyzing their facial expressions and demeanor as the footage was shown on one of the large American cable TV news networks. Fifteen Royal Marines held by a government under the watchful eyes of the world traumatized and scared out of their minds in a few days compared to a single individual whom 大象传媒 would have us believe was kidnapped alone by an unknown terrorist group hardly looking much the worse for wear after 114 days and looking much more rested and relaxed at home in Scotland the next day. So is Alan Johnston the bravest toughest strongest man in Britain or was the whole thing just a big hoax to get attention for his "friends" at a time when the headlines were diverting public attention elsewhere? I've asked 大象传媒 editors at least a dozen times, maybe twice that number for a reply and have gotten none. I may be the only person in the world who does not believe this story at face value and I am nearly convinced the whole thing was a hoax, Johnston most likely just having been hanging out with his 鈥渇riends.鈥� So what is Johnston up to now? Writing a book? Planning his next caper? Or facing months and years of psychological counseling and treatment for trauma one would expect after such a supposed ordeal he shows no signs of having suffered? Make up your own mind, I鈥檝e made up mine.