Congratulations, Brian Ross and your investigative team! You are uncovering and announcing information which could put you and your team, as well as hosts of other journalists, and U.S. citizens in extreem danger. Think how you have encouraged miraids of terrorists groups to pick up anyone they might deem effective in kidnapping, in order to obtain their objectives. You, Simon Surowicz, and you, Krista Kjellerman, have just increased your worth to potential kidnappers in the name of the "latest information publication" with your name attached. How can any group be successful against the odds of dealing with suicide bombers and suicide journalists? Think about it.

"The paper quotes "informed sources close to the mediations" " You are surely kidding - you call this journalism? Interview the "informed source" validate what they say - then report it. This is pitiful news reporting.
Absolutely pitiful.

how stupid do you think people are to believe such a out right lie. you get the award for smart as a box a rocks club! the only thing you are accomplishing besides showing people what kinda bull (you know what) jounalism comes out of your part of the world is
confusing people on the facts. thats going to get your peers hurt and loose credibility in the United States good job keep up Idiot.

With reporters and headlines like the one above AQ and hezbollah don't need a public affairs bureau you folks at ABC handle it all for them. Thank you for consistenly painting everything we do in the most negative light possible!

In the name of investigative journalism, you and your team have effectively opened up the pandorean box to the likes of any terrorist organization. I am for the most part in favor of appropriate journalim but Brian Ross you and your investigative team do not know the real meaning of Patriotism!! Curse your ignorance.

Umm, I think the Palestinians could read the Arabic news story quite well and that ABC is just helping the non-Arabic speakers learn what may or may not be the truth. I applaud them for digging through what others seem to ignore

So- the Bush administration makes a deal with terrorists - but it is your belief that Brian Ross is responsible for the damage that causes? And you believe this despite the fact that the story here states clearly that the allegation was first printed the pan-Arab newspaper al Hayat? Do you suppose maybe the kidnappers leaked the story to the Arab paper and that Brian Ross had nothing to do with this?

The notion of not telling the truth because it may be dangerous or inconvenient is very popular in some quarters. But not in the "free world". Not in a nation that values a free press.

I think c mcclain has got it backwards. It is the U.S. that has acted in such a way as to encourage more kidnapping. If the story is correct, then the U.S. negotiated with terrorists. The government's decision to do this makes the consequences their own responsibility. Blaming free speech is a red herring.

"c mcclain" is spouting the usual idiotic republican propaganda. If the US negotiated with terrorists, believe me, it is NOT going to be news to the Al Qaeda creeps, who all communicate with each other. But keeping that news a secret from American citizens just makes it a ridiculous snowjob to tell US that the government "doesn't negotiate with terrorists." If we don't negotiate with these murderers, then, damn it, stick to the policy. If we DO, then grow up and cut out the theatrics. It's obvious after year of GOP that Republicans don't give a real damn about terrorism -- only politics.

Who says this is true? I did not see where from where the information was taken. But, I do agree that if it si true then it would be an incredibly stupid position for the US government to take.

Actually everyones post and the news article is missing the biggest factor here. --- The Journalist are safe. Cool! Good negotiations. Now as long as the trade didn't give arms to the enemey or hand over crazy people that strap bombs on themselves for some stupid god. We all win.

Welcome back to the days of "yellow Journalism and Muck Raking". Journalism is now about "making a difference in the world" and not about integrity. In my view journalists no longer part of mainstream society and have become our social engineers. Please remember that the news agencies and reporters are selling a product today; editorials not news. These are powerful companies that the "news" thrive on chaos and termoil as Attorneys do. If you actually read the language used in these articles the language and verbage is selected to instill a bias in the reader. This is not journalism but self propagating propaganda for the sake of profit. These people do not have an intrest in national unity or rational discourse. We have entered into an age of politics were we as Americans are being sold out by both parties. The people in power now were the 20 -30 years olds of the '60s. No wonder conservatives (crew cuts) and liberals (hippies) of the '60s cannot run this country. They have hated each other for 40 years and we have to pay for the "Ideals" of thier youths. As for journalists who put themselves in harms way to do a job; do the job, report the facts, stop playing the martyr and let us make up our own minds thank you.

You neocons will make any excuse for GW and his band of corrupt cronies no matter what they do! They are declaring open season on all Americans by negotiating with terrorists. For c. mcclain and the others to blame the messengers for the the fact thta Bush helped his buddy Murdock get his reporters back.

It's just a huge coincidence! Like Haliburton's profit going up 600% since 1999!

I think the U.S. government
has opened a dangereous door for it citizens abroad. No one traveling abroad will be safe if this information is true. I have lost in George Bush and his dealings
with the "war on Terrorism" and the "Iraq War". This action will surely hurt the Republican Party in the next election.

A more reliable source than ABC News says a six-figure cash ransom was paid under the table by the US in order to win the release of the hostages.

nice job bringing out the truth about this...let all the 'patriots' pretend whatever they want.

Some bizarre criticisms from the first few posters here. What Brian Ross has done is let the rest of us in on what the kidnappers have always known; that while the State Dept. says they never negotiate with terrorists, they always do and always have.
The militia doesn't need ABC to confirm what they already know in practice. The American people DO need to know. Yes, negotiating with terrorists does make for a more dangerous middle east in the precedent it sets, and always has. But domestic ignorance is not now, nor ever has been, bliss.
Ross is informing the public of the realities on the ground, not the spin in the WH back rooms. It's his job, and he's doing it quite well, thank you very much.

As you read these articles, please be sure to read the very specific language that is used. This is a verbage trick from psychological warfare to put some truth with alot of generalizations that lead to the reader associate all of the information with the truth and therefore accept all of the information as true. Case in point:

Fact: The hostages were released.
Fact: The border has been reopened.
Generalization: According to sources close to the situation say that the real demands were for release of prisoners.
Generalization: According to the report, the mediators contacted a representative of a European country who in turn contacted U.S. and British diplomats. The paper's sources said in the report that members of a senior FBI delegation, who had arrived in the area a few days earlier, were also involved in the negotiations.

Notice the complete lack of any definable fact.

I would like to thank you for your opinion and would wish you a lengthy stay in the "news rich" environment. Don't be surprised if you become a casualty in a war zone. And since you are there voluntarily please do not blame the government that supports your right to endager your own welfare for getting exactly what you are asking for with your actions.

The statement made by one of the released journalist about sums it up.
If you insist on putting yourself in a
dangerous environment were there is no
obvious law and hasen't been any for 100yrs or more than you do so at your own risk. And then to make a statement
that you hope this idiotic behavior won't discourge other journalists from covering the important plight of the palastinian people is very hard to fathom. Everyone is tried of these peoples continueing plight. The new organization still refer to
have them living in refugee camps 60
yrs after the 48 war. Whole countries have been built from scratch and rebuilt in 5 years. They
received billions in aid. More per capita than any nation in the world
with nothing to show for it. No one is interested in their continueing
sagas. Anyone who wants to cover them do so at your own risk. And by the way if you feel so strongly about this why don't you go back.