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According to Aaron Klein at the conservative-leaning Web site WorldNetDaily, “Palestinian terror groups and security organizations in the Gaza Strip received $2 million from a U.S. source in exchange for the release of Fox News employees Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig, who were kidnapped [in Jerusalem] last summer.” Klein sources the claim to “a senior leader of one of the groups suspected of the abductions,” who reportedly said the money was used to buy weapons “to hit the Zionists,” and also said he expects that the payments will encourage further kidnappings.

Fox News has not confirmed the report, and at this point it should probably be taken as less than ironclad. It’s a little unclear who was behind the alleged payoff, and whether or not Fox News itself was involved – in August, ABC News’ Blotter suggested the US government played a role in Centanni and Wiig’s release.

We may not ever find out the whole story here, but the report does present an opportunity to revisit a touchy subject. Some argue that paying ransoms for hostages puts potential hostages – in this case, journalists – in greater danger in the future. And there are obvious concerns about paying a ransom that could effectively fund terrorist activities. But it’s worth remembering that it’s hard to think in general terms when attempting to recover real people, especially friends and colleagues, and that there are moral grey areas not sufficiently covered by phrases like “we do not negotiate with terrorists." Hopefully we’ll get more details sometime soon and be able to better understand how all this played out.

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You've surely heard by now that Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig have been safely released after having been kidnapped in Gaza two weeks ago. The two were dropped off at a Palestinian hotel after a 15-day ordeal during which they were forced to convert to Islam. Details about their release are still coming out but Centanni has a message for journalists in the region:

“I want to thank everybody. I am happy to be here. I hope that this never scares a single journalist away from coming to Gaza to cover the story because the Palestinian people are very beautiful and kind hearted," Centanni told reporters. "The world needs to know more about them. Don't be discouraged."

On another dangerous front, you may not have heard that Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Paul Salopek remains in a Sudanese prison on charges of espionage. The reporter, working for National Geographic at the time of his arrest, is accused of illegally entering the Darfur region through neighboring Chad. According to the New York Times:

He is the third Westerner detained and charged after crossing the border from Chad this month. An American college student was detained and deported this month after making a similar journey. Tomo Kriznar, a filmmaker and human rights advocate acting as the envoy of Janez Drnovsek, the Slovenian president, was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted on charges similar to those Mr. Salopek faces.

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The kidnapping in Gaza of Fox News journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig entered another disturbing chapter today, when the group claiming responsibility released a videotape of Centanni and Wiig to Al Jazeera. It’s a development that has seemingly already elevated the story’s prominence – it’s getting top billing at several news Web sites today and continuous attention on cable news.

The video appears as many (including us) have begun to wonder
why this kidnapping doesn’t seem to be garnering the same amount of media attention as similar events -- such as the kidnapping of Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll. Carroll’s 11-part series recapping her experience is currently generating record traffic for the Monitor’s Web site and is running on various other news Web sites, including CBSNews.com (where it’s one of the site’s most popular stories today.)

The video’s emergence makes it pretty likely that Centanni and Wiig’s story will get some sort of mention on tonight’s evening newscasts. In the meantime, the most comprehensive coverage is being updated constantly at TVNewser.

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Just as we’re learning more details about the 82-day long ordeal Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll lived through after being kidnapped in Iraq, news comes to remind us that the other war zone isn’t exactly safe for journalists. The Israeli-Hezbollah cease fire may be holding for now, but according to the Associated Press, a Fox News correspondent and crew member covering the war were “taken against their will” in Gaza:

Palestinian gunmen ambushed a car carrying a Fox News crew in Gaza City on Monday and kidnapped two of the journalists inside, according to witnesses and Fox. "We can confirm that two of our people were taken against their will in Gaza," Fox News said in a statement.

A Fox employee in Gaza, who declined to give his name because he was not authorized to release information about the incident, said the two kidnapped people were reporter Steve Centanni, a U.S. citizen, and a cameraman from New Zealand.

The men, along with a bodyguard, were parked near the headquarters of the Palestinian security services when two trucks filled with gunmen pulled up and boxed them in, according to the employee. The gunmen took the two out of their sports utility vehicle, which was marked "TV," and drove away, he said.

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