Pray for Paul
Today's been a bittersweet day for journalism. First came the fantastic news that
kidnappers in the Gaza Strip have released Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig. But then I read the
horrifying headline that Chicago Tribune reporter Paul Salopek has been charged with espionage in Sudan while working on assignment for
National Geographic magazine. Sudan's government has also arrested Salopek's driver,
Idriss Abdulraham Anu, and interpreter,
Suleiman Abakar Moussa, both of them from Chad. Earlier this month News Gems featured Salopek's
"A Tank of Gas, a World of Trouble," which is an inspiring example of reporting and writing. He is simply one of the best journalists we have. Salopek, Centanni and Wiig do the kind of enterprise reporting in foreign countries that we so desperately need. Our prayers are with Salopek, Anu and Moussa for their quick release and with Centanni and Wiig for a quick recovery.