psyche101 Posted April 28, 2016 #1 Share Posted April 28, 2016 Hi All I guess many have heard of the bungled 60 minutes kidnapping in Beirut? Most people I have spoken with on the subject were astounded that 60 Minutes would do something so stupid, for those that have not heard the story, it goes like this: LINK - Tara Brown and 60 Minutes crew detained in Beirut Ms Faulkner was arrested by Lebanese police for allegedly kidnapping her two children from a street in the Lebanese capital, with the Nine Network crew covering the story. After being temporarily reunited with her children, who she claims were kidnapped by her ex-husband after failing to return them to Australia from a holiday in his native country, Ms Faulkner was taken into custody according to local police and media outlets. The alleged kidnapping took place at a Beirut bus stop where the children, Noah and Lahela, were approached while out with another person, believed to be their paternal grandmother. Following the incident, police detained on kidnapping suspicion Brown, producer Stephen Rice and a cameraman while they were trying to film the recovery of the brother and sister. Simply put, we have a divorced couple, the husband in Beirut, the Wife in Australia. Kids went for holidays to their Father, qwho did not return them. Mother seeks help and this is where it gets strange 60 minutes not only hear the plea, but arrange to help kidnap the children to return to their mother. They did this by paying "child recovery experts" who then used a violent attack in a public street to remove the children from their Grandmother. Here is the footage. Each can make their own mind up I guess, but it seems to me a disgusting act. That Grandmother must have been going out of her head, What could be more terrifying then a kidnap right in front of you? My heart goes out to the poor lady who must have been beside herself in fear, confusion and terror. As I say, that is where it gets strange, I canot imagine why a top news team like 60 minutes would do something so stupid, violent, hurtful and just plain irresponsible. The 60 minutes team and Sally Faulkner have been released. There are rumours that a bribe of up to one million was paid to secure their release. One reliable source has that number at half a milion. They left the kidnappers to rot in jail. I guess 60 minutes figures they were paid to take the risk, so to hell with them, lets just regroups and get the news team back. However, none of the reporters, or Sally may speak to any news source other than Channel 9. They have set this up well so that they have exclusive rights to all aspects of the story, so some are asking, was that the intention all along? Media Watch did a great expose on the incident a few nights ago. They have the story online i transcript and the show online. LINK - Media Watch Expose Transcript From the link: Meanwhile, the 60 Minutes crew has not been helped by a rash admission from the alleged organiser of the abduction. Adam Whittington, CEO of Child Abduction Recovery International, boasted to the ABC from his boat in Beirut just hours before the snatch ADAM WHITTINGTON: Yeah, no, we actually have, who is it, 60 Minutes, with us now, actually, doing a big story, so you should see that shortly. — ABC, Interview with Adam Whittington, Child Abduction Recovery International, 7 April, 2016 By an extraordinary coincidence, Whittington was being interviewed on Skype for an ABC feature on child abduction as the operation commenced. Since then one of his team has allegedly told Lebanese authorities that 60 Mins paid $115,000 to fund the operation. And more recently, Sally Faulkner’s Beirut lawyer, has repeated the claim, and added some detail. GHASSAN MOGHABGHAB: The money was paid by 60 Minutes ... through Sally to the company that made this execution available. MATT BROWN: So, the direct relationship, though, is between Sally and the company and she’s using the money of 60 Minutes? GHASSAN MOGHABGHAB: Yes, that’s true. — ABC Radio, AM, 15 April, 2016 But this morning The Australian’s front page has Whittington claiming that the $115,000 fee for the snatch was paid directly by Nine to his company. Channel Nine paid me in two instalments, says Beirut snatch planner “I have the receipts and internet payments; for them (Channel Nine) to claim they weren’t involved is a joke.” — The Australian, 18 April, 2016 Despite countless opportunities to do so, Channel Nine has not denied that it financed the failed recovery. But it claims it never comments on such matters. Now we have a terrorise Grandmother, and if the Father was in the wrong, that will not come to light now, he is doing weel from the 60 minutes payout and the mother will probably never ever see her children again. And we have two men in jail as a result that were left behind when the news crew got their own backside catered to. A complete debacle. Quite stunned that 60 minutes would stoop to this level, amazed they would go this far, in any case, it seems it was all just a million dollar grab at ratings. The Media Watch video is at the link, it is really worth a watch to get the inside story here. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Wearer of Hats Posted April 28, 2016 #2 Share Posted April 28, 2016 The sheer amount of cockwombles on all sides of this is staggering. The father? AMERICAN but p***es off to Lebanon because no diplomatic treaties with Oz. Mother? One report I read said SHE did exactly the same thing to him when the kids were in Oz. Grandmother? Her Snd the kids are probably the only innocent people in this whole fiasco. The merchant bankers running a "child rescue squad"? Despite being Aussies were travelling under false British passports. Channel 9? Wanting to be "heroes" instead basically put God knows how many people in the sort of Firing Squad level danger, AND have now created a situation where that poor mother will never see her kids again. People at Channel 9 need to be sacked. Won't happen, but I hope the ghost of Kerry Paxker haunts the Sixty Minutes studio for a while. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyche101 Posted April 28, 2016 Author #3 Share Posted April 28, 2016 I agree mate, I have been stunned at the bumbling and fumbling of this case all the way through, I canot understand why executives would OK such a dicey operation that really was rather brutal. As you say, the Grandmother and kids are victims here, I cannot believe that Channel 9 would allow harassment of an old lady like that, that is criminal. But it seems 9 used this as one big stunt to create their own story. As much as mainstream media is to be taken with a grain of salt, this is just over the top. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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