What's up with this?Navy SEAL Team Six Author Receives Death Threats After Fox News Publishes His Name
NBC News reported Friday that the author of No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden is the subject of threats on "militant Islamic websites" that posted his name, photo and admonishments such as "Oh Allah, make an example of him for the whole world and give him dark days ahead."
The author, who was operating under the pseudonym Mark Owen, had his real name revealed Thursday by Fox News, in both an online report about potential trouble he faces for writing the book and a televised segment. The Associated Press later confirmed the former SEAL's identity.
Fox has come under fire for its publication of the name from other quarters of the media, including on rival MSNBC. The network defended its decision in a statement, saying, "Once you write a book, anonymously or not, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy."
You know, if FOX was known for its consistency and journalistic integrity on these issues I might buy this. But since they operate entirely on a political agenda, the only logical explanation is that they are so bitter about the bin Laden raid that they're willing to endanger his life.
I have to assume that this SEAL and his publisher knew there was a likelihood that his name would be revealed, so there's a bit of PR handwringing involved here. It's the fact that
FOX was the organization that named him that has me gobsmacked. There is no network that is normally more worshipful of the military and the people who serve, but in this one case it appears they decided to consciously put a hero's life in danger for what can only be described as rank partisan hardball --- they don't want the Obama administration to have any advantage from the bin Laden raid and they are upset that this fellow's book scheduled to roll out just before the election. I honestly can't conceive of another motivation for this particular network to have done this.
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