Current TV won't talk about Ling and Lee

[br8d1]

Thank you for putting this video up.

[br8d1]

Thank you for making this video. I recently did a video about Laura Ling and Euna Lee. Check out my page to see it and tell me what you think. I have lost a lot of respect for Current lately. I think new executives have taken away everything that was great about it, and they are trying to turn it into MTV. Very disappointed. It used to be about news and information, and now it is just trying to make a few people famous and cash in.

[johnny21usaf]

Who cares? Probably the people that cared about that lady that had 8 kids. I am not one of those people...

[jieming3]

This doesn't seem very professional. Why not turn off the camera like a civil human being? Why not try to make an appointment with a spokesman. If the spokesman won't meet with you then there's your story.

This stunt debases the "journalist" lower than those he is reporting on.

[laladylatte]

I don't think that this was the best way to go about doing this. It would have made more sense to go through and left a deluge of voice messages/emails for a smattering of people in an attempt to set up an appointment with someone (unless you did already, then well done on that part). Just busting in with a camera is the best way to get yourself quickly kicked out, even if you've got valid credentials in the first place.

Still, nice try.

[AgentAlmost]

Someone only getting their news from Current TV would never know that one of their "hard hitting vanguard journalists", and her camerawoman, was imprisoned. There hasn't been any mention on the tv channel, and any posts regarding the incident are pulled off of the website. I understand the need to tread lightly but that does not mean that they shouldn't even acknowledge that something happened.

I'm beginning to think that what current is really protecting is it's own failing brand.

[laladylatte]

I watch Current pretty often--I love Vanguard--and I've noticed that too. I'm guessing that it's part of Al Gore's attempt to be 'politically neutral'. Still, if they don't broadcast anything about it, they could have at least let users' posts and comments stay on the site. Don't they have a disclaimer saying that the submissions of users "do not represent the views of Current TV" or something to that effect?

[BIGcoxMAN]

Those two asian girls are retarded. The white guys running CurrenTV prob thought.. hrmm.. two asian girls.. who are not even Korean or speak Korean, should be able to sneak into and out of North Korea.. no problem. Come on, how stupid can they all be.. North Korea and US are still technically at war with each other.

[multo1]

2 mexican national journalists, crossing the rio grande illegally, doing a story on prostitution gangs and illegal immigration in texas.......hmmmmm.....i see big time federal prison sentence in usa

[alfa1979alfa]

You know these *ss h*oles always like to get in peoples faces and run down other people with their stories. But they sure as hell don't like it when the tables are turned. Where is that that fat idiot Al Gore. Is he jet setting between his mansions. Huge carbon footprint on that man.

[catrank]

shes hot

[lavideomania]

The guy with the camera is kind of a jerk.  The obvious glee in his tone of voice is very offputting. It's a sensitive situation... obviously if they don't want to talk about it, it's for a reason. Anyway, you think the desk receptionist is going to make official statements for the company? Give me a break.

[jwstobbe]

I work in PR, and this video looks like a disaster for Current - who is in the business of making news.

"Please leave or we'll gonna have to call security" - why do people say that? Either you call, or you don't.

[lavideomania]

I don't work in PR, and even I can tell that this is not anywhere near what could be called a "disaster." With scarcely over 2000 views, and it not making a story of any magnitude in any public media outlet, I would call it a mosquito in a hurricane at best.

People give you a warning so that you can leave voluntarily and without incident. There's nothing unusual about that... ?

[BFPolarBear]

Well, the two women have been sentenced. I think it's time for Mitch Koss to speak up.

[KongSunWu]

It is strange that these News people constantly get in other peoples lives. But they do like it when it happens to them. Not honest people I think

[lavideomania]

It is also strange that the Chinese government constantly gets into other peoples' lives. But when anyone else criticizes them, they call it an insult to the people and an intrusion on internal affairs. Say, you're from China aren't you? I guess since you have access to YouTube, you must be in an official capacity with special network access. Nice going, party cadre.

[lavideomania]

My argument is good as a truthful observation on its own merits. Just because I criticize China don't assume that I will not criticize the U.S. You are mistaken.

[WorldExtremeCholo]

I am american and I say behead them. those whores had no right to break law. hang those whores.

[whoareyou3636]

they didn't break a law, according 2 north korea they did but d gov't is just manipulating the situation, and y r u calling dem whores dey r just being journalists that r reporting on their behalf, north korea has unjust laws, y woud u say behead dem, i bet that if you were in their situation you'd be pissing ur pants begging d gov't 2 help you so before u criticize analyze this situation and you'll understand if you even have half a head ne wayz

[WorldExtremeCholo]

first of all I am not STUPID! only an IDIOT would enter another country ILLEGALLY! I cant stand ILLEGAL ALIENS so why in the fuck would I want to be one. ONLY A FOOL who deserves death would cross into forbiden territory.

[whoareyou3636]

Allrite pardon my language I apologize, but from reading articles it seems that both ladies were assigned to report from d border as it was their job but not enter illegally as it can be noted that there were fabricated charges and north korean agents r known for kidnapping citizens near d border

[whoareyou3636]

Also a person who enters another country illegally doesn't deserve death, if its criminal actvities obviously they should go on trial and have representation, but in ms. ling and lee's situation even if their intentions wer 2 enter illegally dey dnt deserve 2 get hung, dey shoud get fair rep. and trial, while both countries shoud hav a conversation w/ diplomacy and deportation w/ sum xtra regulations added but it doesn't mean dey deserve death, if anything blame gore for sending dem 2 d border

[WorldExtremeCholo]

North Korea will gain financially from the executed prisoners organs. North Korean officials has arranged the sale of the extracted organs of Laura Ling and Euna Lee to medical visitors, from other regions such as Taiwan and Hong Kong, for up to 350,000 US dollars.

[whoareyou3636]

if i may ask, where r u getting ur sources from

[Tothe2012]

Political issues aside, lame video lol. Go into any office without an appointment, stick a video camera into workers' faces, and ask lame questions, you're not going to go anywhere, you half-ass, lame-voiced Michael Moore impersonator. Go get a real job!!!! Make a short film about a ballerina who broke her toe and missed an audition - content that matches your abilities lol.

[chefbo2010]

Those 2 sellout-whitewashed Asian bitches are SPIES!!......BOTTOM LINE......but i kinda feel bad for them...NO white boys to run to, being in a 100% Asian country must be tearing their tight lil azzholes apart, damn sellouts, only marry or date white boys, sorta like the chinkens coming home to roust. p.s. not a typo on "Chinkens" haha....sorry grils NK`s are REAL ASIANS, and they do not take shit from Americans

[h1900gn]

don't feel bad for them. they've hated asian men their whole lives. If they are released, I truly hope the North Koreans psychologically fuck them up before they go home.

[whoareyou3636]

they don't hate azn men, where r u getting this news from, o yeah dats rite, ur own ignorance, no dey were just reporting news on north korea and china by the border, d dprk just came up with an excuse to jail dem, y woud u wish dat the dprk fuk dem up psychologically, dey were just doing der jobs, you've obviously never reported den again you've probably been screwed up psychologically for urself 2 have dese opinions of dese women who were only reporting out of their own good to bring us news

[dragnet53]

FFFFFk Al Gore!

[nmr17]

wow... SAVE laura ling!!!!

[kronleuchter]

I wish all the best to both victims and to their relatives. Frankly 12 years in a work camp is the same like a sentence to death.

Hopefully my leader, B.Obama, will find a quick solution to get them out of North Korea

[DonRoccoCiciarelli]

Thank God that North Korea captured these two journalists. Current is a very left wing station who supports Communism, death to police, and Che Guevara. They make conservatives look like idiots and support all ACLU issues. These two reporters were probably going to do a report on "how good North Korea" is and how the USA right wingers are blowing this out of proportion. Good for them....they are now getting a taste of what they were there to support! Suffer...just like in Cuba etc!!!!!!!!

[DFDSLX0988]

You must be right wing AND severely misinformed. Ignorance does not help you at all in this one. Ling was reporting on the human traffic taking place around the borders of N Korea by the Kim Jong-Il regime.

Educate yourself before you say something stupid! Oh, wait. You already did.

[DonRoccoCiciarelli]

When communists take over this land because of ignorants like you and you begin to get rationed on food and everything like in Cuba which is starving to death, then you will remember me! A good communist is a communist 6 feet under. Communists must be shot dead....no other alternative. I lived that and there is no way I will allow it again. The problem with Americans is that they do not read history then they are brainwashed by idiots with Che Guevara shirts that socialism is great! Yap!

[DFDSLX0988]

Who's saying anything about communism? Stop living in the 70s. Communism is practically dead. Communist regimes that remain are nothing more than one-party ruled States with command economies--take China for example. But you wouldn't know about this because you are an uneducated, ignorant bigot.

Go ahead and fight a dead war and feed your commie paranoia. While you're at it, why don't you also stop the Kennedy assassination? That would be patriotic.

[DonRoccoCiciarelli]

Current: stands for: Viva Ernesto Che Guevara, Viva Chavez, Viva Correa, Viva Morales, Viva Il, Viva Angela Davis, Vive Berkeley, Death to America, Death to the men and women in service, Servicemen are killers, Viva Afghanistan, Viva Iraq, War crimes for Bush, Death to Bush, More 9/11s, Crips and Bloods are great, Viva Mara salvatruchas, Viva Umala, Viva Stalin, Viva Lenin, Viva Rodney King, Death to LAPD, Death to all police, Death to Limbaugh, Death to Republicans, Long live illegals!!!!

[DFDSLX0988]

The fact that the news network has reported on the above does not mean that they endorse them in a positive or negative way. You are just exacerbating their point of view and amplifying it to fit your negative view of their journalistic credo.

I've seen a good amount of reports and they are not embellishing anything too much. Yes they have their views and report the way they want to. What about you? You have your opinion and they have theirs. If you don't like their network stop watching it.

[DonRoccoCiciarelli]

TV stations have the right to do whatever they want...that is our freedom....but it is the ignorance. For exapmple, Current will go out and do a story on Cuba. The first place they will be allowed to visit are the great resorts (only tourists are allowed there). Then they will be driven thru roads to visit government people. They will meet Castro and he will greet them. They WILL NOT be allowed in the real starving Cuba. Then they return saying how Cuba was so nice and why Miami people are nuts!

[DFDSLX0988]

They will also report that a medicine to treat lung disease costs approx. $200 a bottle in the US and around $5 in Cuba. They will mention that health care is free while a birth in the US costs around $50K. Lastly, they will ask a bunch of Cubans what they think of the US and they will say that they wish no harm on us and that they like Americans--despite the US having tried to forcibly annex their territory much like the US did with Hawaii.

[DonRoccoCiciarelli]

True to some extent......but Cubans have little or no jobs.....no food.....no electricity.......not a good place to live......no TV except for the privileged....filth.....very few have cars or bicycles. Yes, we are expensive, and no doubt a ripoff in health care.....but I rather take markets, clean hospitals, food, cars, electricity, freedom, instead of nothing.....and if take back the billions spent on illegal immigration in this country, those costs will drop dramatically.

[DonRoccoCiciarelli]

Then Current will do a report on South Central LA. They will only air people who are poor and people who have been "abused" by the LAPD in sympathy. What they will not show are the daily shootings and drug transactions that occur there every minute and the carjackings which kill dozens of innocent people......so again, college students believe their story on how they are nice poor people trying to make a living and not the real destruction caused by daily shootings....they would hide that.

[DFDSLX0988]

The LAPD does abuse their power to enforce the law. You can't deny that. Look at the statistics on LAPD demographics and most of the cops are white males. Racism plays a good part in the problem: Whites policing Blacks and Latinos.

There is no denial that there are high crime rates in the urban sector of LA. But the LAPD does abuse the innocent, non-violent residents. Do you know about Rodney King? What about the Latino soldier who was gunned down for no reason?

[DonRoccoCiciarelli]

I know there is cop abuse everywhere and I myself have been a victim of profiling, but it must be reported that this is a war zone and not just on a poor innocent person. Black children in So Central LA cannot go to school without hearing gunshots every day. Al and Jesse should stop talking shit about whites and start to gather police and military people to start cleaning up gang neighborhoods so we can all live a better life and police would respect them more. You have to ride with LAPD to see!

[DonRoccoCiciarelli]

I have to go....but thanks for the debates! We do a better job than politicians!

[DFDSLX0988]

Yeah, it was fun. Take care.

[pusosl]

DRC: I don't think you would feel that way if they were White American journalists. Most people would be clamoring for their release if that were the case.

[lostinseganet]

Fox did the same then when terrorist kidnapped on of theirs.

[daveordiane]

Current TV is great with pointing out every body elses flaws but when they do something seriously wrong that puts national security at risk they are unable to talk. LOL

[porkisgood4u]

Ofcourse they won't talk if you just barged in there like that. Can I just walked in your house without knocking? come on man...

[caesiume]

Laura Ling was right.."the media IS broken".

[MemphisRamblers]

"We don't allow cameras in here." Isn't that what North Korea said to the two reporters? It seems that Current is just as secretive as N. Korea.

[DonRoccoCiciarelli]

Current is an extreme left wing propaganda station catering to the young like college students, stating things as Che Guevara was a hero and the ACLU is great for America and also that Chavez is a great man. These two stupid reporters went over there probably to make a "good" documentary of North Korean people and how the USA is overreacting and that they were threatened by us. Now, these two are getting a true taste of what they and Current support! That is why they want silence...!!!!

[bsgs98]

Sort of like that stupid woman who jumped in the moat at the German zoo to hug the polar bear.

[DaTiaoZhan]

Gawker reports:

A Current employee has shed more light on why Current has steadfastly refused to mention the fact that 2 of its reporters have been detained in North Korea

The employee says the company ordered complete employee silence as soon as the reporters were captured, and it's stuck to that policy ever since.

"We got an email the day it happened from our CTO saying not to talk to

any media types that were out on our sidewalk. We were also told not to show up at the vigils."

[astanhope]

You know they care immensely.

This is an unbelievably sensitive situation and we can be certain that it is eating away at the souls of everyone involved with Current.

I'm sure that Current would *love* to be able to tell all about this, but they can't. This problem isn't Current's fault nor is it Gore's fault, Bush's or Obama's. We can lay the responsibility for this tragedy squarely on Kim Jong Il's lap along with his psychopathic regime.

Our thoughts are with you, Laura & Euna.

[gcruz30]

Dude! I know its your job, but when a person says very nicely, "Please leave, please turn off the camera..." you really should comply. I would have personally knocked the shit out of you after the first please turn off the camera. Lucky you.

[DaTiaoZhan]

Al Gore spoke to the ABC affiliate San Francisco TV station (KGO) about his efforts recently.

Meanwhile the documentary that Laura Ling did in 2007 about prostitution in China has been removed from the Internet. (See the story on it on Shanghaiist blog January 1, 2008)

Still no word from Mitch Koss, as apparently no journalists or YouTube amateurs have been bold enough to try and interview him.

[seka1986]

I feel sorry for Laura Ling and Euna Lee because Kim Jong mentally ill probably has his perverted hands all over them.

[BigBillClinton]

Maybe we can all watch if he video tapes it

[seka1986]

It might be on YouTube. Keep your eyes peeled.

[Telex100]

Have some class, don't go all gangster on people and yell at a receptionist and stalk some guy off the street (who the hell was he? Anyone important? Wouldn't that matter?)  and bust into a person's workplace if you're going to call yourself a "reporter".

It just makes you a douchebag and you set the cause of people who actually want to be journalists back a ton by being douchey. I'd like some more info too, but it's not like you'll get anywhere being a dick.

[whyzeee2]

And they call themselves journalists!

[DaTiaoZhan]

If you really want to stir things up, I suggest you go back to that 118 King Street office on May 28 at

at 6:30 p.m. during the candlelight vigil and ask the Current TV folks if cameraman Mitch Koss will be presenting a slide show!

[MothaFuckthePolice]

um... they obviously don't want to endanger their coworker, who is still being held in NK! leave them alone.

[pavlinaj]

They're not going to "endanger" their coworker by reporting on the story. If government officials put pressure on NK, they may see that as a threat, but the media (CurrentTV included) needs to be covering this. There has been very little info about this story. The media cannot just remain quiet and cross their fingers. That's the whole point behind Current TV's organization and they've neglected to come public about anything.

[pavlinaj]

Good work. I was hoping you'd ask Current for a job since it seems you're doing the work they should be doing. Have you thought about uploading this to the current site? I'm willing to help you do this again if you want to make a 2nd attempt - I'm local and I have some video gear. LOL, I actually considered doing this a while back and then I found your clip. good stuff!

[FluxRostrum]

I am very sorry that Laura and Euna have become fodder for this piece of shit network. Al Gore lied the day he announced this venture.

[seka1986]

Al Gore doesn't care. I doubt he even knows what happened to Laura Ling and Euna Lee. Al Gore's handlers shield him from things like this.

[hardsofty123]

this stuff is hot news now, but legally the US cant do shit, since n korea's sovereignty allows it to arrest ppl convicted of offenses, unless of course, you have diplomatic immunity ;)

[hardsofty123]

but ya, on humanitarian grounds, there isn't even much, a statte official was asked on the news, it was good:

"I think they should be released because i think they should be released"

"Why?"

"Because i know the treatment they have been subjected too..."

"Explain.."

and then it got cut, commercial

still, those two knew the risks they were taking, whatever there motivation, or aspirations, they were stupid in pursuing it in the manner they chose. ....don't fuck with the state \o.o/

[seka1986]

You write so poorly I can barely understand what you're trying to convey. I do understand that you hate the USA and you support North Korea. No surprise coming from a Canadian moron though.

[hardsofty123]

you fail,

i support the US very strongly.

as for N korea, well they are not doing so well... what really could i say about them, other than that its regime has outlasted much instability, so obviously they must be doing something right.

this canadian moron is 1 term away from a degree in in't relations and development.

stop failing so harshly, and write something worth discussing plz., as i have already done :o

[gcruz30]

Wow! What are you bitter about? Did they fire you or something? What has Al Gore done to you? And exactly what did he lie about? I would like to know.

[FluxRostrum]

my now hidden comment stands as the TRUTH

"I am very sorry that Laura and Euna have become fodder for this piece of shit network. Al Gore lied the day he announced this venture."

I watched anxiously as Al announced his network starting that "they wanted to publish stories about people like you and made by people like you!" little did I know he was pointing to the network camera crew at the back of the room.... not at "you".

[FluxRostrum]

There are/were many more things wrong with this strawman people's network and their treat of of their missing reporters does not surprise me in the least. It's exactly what I would expect from Current.