It is not just 60 minutes that failed to maintain basic standards. Newspaper coverage of the story (and online as well) was slanted heavily in the mother's favour. Basic information was systematically excluded. No-one asked the father for his version of events, not even the basic and obvious question of why he apparently chose not to return the children to Australia.

We were told that the mother had a Family Court judgment in her favour. Why did the mother never release a copy of that judgment so we could assess the details. The father also had a Court judgment in his favour from a Lebanese Court. If it was mentioned at all it was buried deep in the msm articles.

I am afraid that you are correct. There was an obvious and conscious bias in favour of the pretty blonde over the foreigner from a dodgy country. Racism and xenophobia were rampant.

The media also downplayed the fact that the mother had a baby to another man while still married to the Lebanese father. That may be seen as no big deal in Australia, but in Lebanon it would be a big black mark.

It also needs to be noted that although the father is not interested in pursuing charges against the mother and the kidnappers and the 60 Minutes crew,that is a decision for the prosecuting authorities, just as it is here in Australia. They are not out of the woods yet.

Just imagine if the father had come to Australis with a snatch team and the Lebanese 60 minutes crew in train. Would our authorities have been as lenient and forgiving? How would the local press have reacted to this violation of OUR laws?

I have a degree of sympathy for the mother. But as for 60 minutes and the snatch team, they should still be over there facing the full force of Lebanese law.

dkit

I have received an official communiqué that Channel Nine will air a documentary about the selfless, yet herioc, Channel Nine crew being gaoled by swathy, evil, Lebanese baddies.

It will score the highest RATINGs of the week (or is that weak?).

Money well spent.

So what will the father be charged with? He took these children from Australia, in the good faith that he would return them.

The issue of money is still a question. It is a common way of solving these issues in the Arab world. The father denies being paid. Is that really the truth, or is this a question of a smooth operator and good salesman of his case, but maybe not really the truth?

I don't blame the mother for trying to retrieve her children, what would you have done in the same situation?

Channel 9 were prepared to pay for the story, as do most tv networks. The mother seems to have decided that this money should fund the retrieval operation. Fair enough, that is her decision.

If she had sold her house to achieve the same, would anything be different, except that she would have been alot poorer?

plantagenet,

Heh, heh, good one.

However the prize for opportunism, gall and crassness goes to human headline Ray 'Watch my Rug' Martin and what a worthy winner he is!

Ray Martin got in early to piggyback with a story about his exploits 'rescuing' children from those always rotten fathers and his own great panache and enormous courage in doing so.

Ray is never restrained where building himself up is concerned.

Soon after, Ray's daughter helped out with a story on the same theme about her dad.

The Rug for first President of the 'Big A' Republic!

Marrying a man caught up with terrorist makes you wonder much about the mothers sanity or judgement. I am not sure whether the mother or father would be considered fit to be parents.