San Francisco Blog

Now that they've been sentenced, they can start negotiating some sort of deal to release them. I don't blame Current for not publishing anything that might jeopardize their safe return.

I doubt if Current TV is censoring the plight of their reporters to protect themselves from litigation; for virtually everyone else is publishing articles concerning these two reporters

It is possible that the families are concerned that continuing media exposure will complicate diplomatic efforts to have those women deported and they have asked Current TV to lay low.

Another possibility is that the Department of Homeland Security has legally compelled Current TV to remain silent. Our government certainly has the power to censor articles that threaten National Security

The North Korean government will certainly increase their negotiating leverage if the those poor women remain on the front page for weeks on end, but if the media exposure diminishes, the North Korean government will have less incentive to keep them in prison.

It appears that no one knows anything except what is posted on the North Korean government web sites; it is possible that Current TV does not know anything either.

I think the North Korean government has their citizens' best interests at heart, and all things considered; they're well-plugged-into whatever efforts are underway to save them from the influences of the Western World.

It seems to me like someone, like Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, who knows what's best, is advising his political police to brutally silence all dissent so as not to jeopardize whatever negotiations are happening.

Yeah, censorship sucks...but I find it hard to get outraged about not having any form of human rights when it could make the difference between a life of slow starvation and the getting a bullet in the back of the head for the people of North Korea.