Up to now, I have not mentioned the kidnapping of Fox News reporter Steve Centanni and his free-lance cameraman, Olaf Wiig, due to missing the story initially and the lack of developments afterward. Eight days later, the kidnappers have not taken public responsibility nor issued demands -- and that is the kind of no-news that actually is news, as Centanni's colleague Michelle Malkin notes today on her blog:

Fox News Channel reporter Steve Centanni and freelance cameraman Olaf Wiig are still missing. It has now been more than a week since their kidnapping at gunpoint in Gaza by unknown terrorists. FNC top management, the journalists' families, and Palestinian journalists continue to press for their release.

Following up on my post late Sunday night, some media types are now musing that one possible reason the story is not getting the attention it deserves is that there aren't any "new" developments to report. Vaughn Ververs, CJR Daily, and Stephen Spruiell at The Media Blog weigh in. TV blogs are covering the story: check TV Newser, Johnny Dollar, and Inside Cable News.

My opinion: No news is news. So is unchecked terrorist thuggery against Western journalists. The disappearance of Centanni and Wiig is at least as newsworthy as--and far more threatening to our national security than--people falling off cruise ships or getting eaten by alligators or attacked by bees.

It's a hell of a lot more newsworthy than developments in what should have been a local news story on an unsolved murder in Boulder, CO. Yet even Centanni's own network seems much more interested in the latest Jon Benet Ramsey updates than on Centanni (although not, one should definitely note, on Brit Hume's Special Report).

The latest news on Centanni and Wiig is the deployment of a New Zealand diplomat, Arabic-speaking Peter Rider, to Gaza for a special assignment to free the pair:

Senior Wellington diplomat Peter Rider arrived in the Middle East in the weekend to lead efforts to secure Wiig's release.

Mr Rider, an Arabic speaker, was sent from Wellington to take over the diplomatic role in the crisis from New Zealand's Turkish ambassador, Jan Henderson, who was scheduled to return home from her Ankara posting.

Speaking from Jerusalem Mr Rider told National Radio he spent yesterday in Gaza meeting with the Palestinian Prime Minister, security forces and senior Fatah leaders.

"We got a lot of assurances that people are working very hard on this and I was very please to get a personal commitment from the Prime Minister that he is doing everything he can and exercising a lot of authority over his staff and forces to try and find what has happened to Olaf and his Fox News colleague."

So far, it doesn't sound promising. The lack of bragging and demands either means the kidnappers didn't realize who they took and want to find a quiet way to get out of their jam -- or something worse. Let's hope that it's the former and the kidnappers will just settle for a taped statement of their political manifesto, using Centanni and Wiig as producers. In the meantime, keep the pair and their families in your prayers, and maybe post about it to let the media know that we consider the kidnapping of Western journalists a more serious affair than the in-flight meal of a twisted pervert being extradited from Thailand.

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» The Search For Steve Centanni & Olaf Wiig from Flopping Aces
Michelle Malkin is asking all bloggers to blog a bit on the missing Fox reporter Steve Centenni and his cameraman Olaf Wiig. I was actually wondering yesterday why I have not heard a peep about them in sometime, almost as if they did not exist anymo... [Read More]

Tracked on August 22, 2006 11:23 AM

» Keep Praying: Centanni & Wiig Still Missing from A Lady's Ruminations
Today, Michelle Malkin is encouraging everyone with a blog to post something about Steve and Olaf, in a sort of blogburst. You can read her post here. I love Fox News and have often seen Steve Centanni's reporting. I was quite shocked to hear of ... [Read More]

Tracked on August 22, 2006 5:56 PM

» Still Missing - Blogburst from The Right Nation
E' passata ormai più di una settimana dal rapimento, a Gaza, del giornalista di Fox News, Steve Centanni, e del cameramen freelance, Olaf Wiig. Sui mainstream media è calato un vergognoso silenzio (sono soltanto dipendenti di Fox News, mica della CNN... [Read More]

Tracked on August 22, 2006 6:47 PM

» Steve Centanni and Olaf Wigg, alive but captives from Right Truth
Holy Jihad Brigades is claiming responsibility for the kidnapping of Steve Centanni and Olaf Wigg, both Fox News Channel employees who have been missing for over a week. The terror group wants all Muslims to be released from U.S. jails [Read More]

Tracked on August 23, 2006 10:08 AM

» Steve Centanni and Olaf Wigg, alive but captives from Right Truth
Holy Jihad Brigades is claiming responsibility for the kidnapping of Steve Centanni and Olaf Wigg, both Fox News Channel employees who have been missing for over a week. The terror group wants all Muslims to be released from U.S. jails [Read More]

Tracked on August 23, 2006 10:16 AM

» Once Again, Terrorism Will Gain Legitimacy from The Clash of Civilizations
What needs to be created, as I continue saying, is a no-tolerance, non-negotiation policy that digs deep into the thick skulls of the Islamofascists that only understand might. We need a pickaxe to break through that hard shell surrounding their obscur... [Read More]

Tracked on August 23, 2006 10:54 AM

» Terrorists Release Video Of Fox News Hostages Steve Centanni And Olaf Wiig from Diggers Realm
A terrorist group calling themselves Brigades of Holy Jihad have released a video of Fox News reporter Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig. In the video demands are made for the release of "Muslim prisoners" within 72 hours. Steve... [Read More]

Tracked on August 23, 2006 12:00 PM

» Terrorists Release Video Of Fox News Hostages Steve Centanni And Olaf Wiig from Diggers Realm
A terrorist group calling themselves Brigades of Holy Jihad have released a video of Fox News reporter Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig. In the video demands are made for the release of "Muslim prisoners" within 72 hours. Steve... [Read More]

Tracked on August 23, 2006 12:02 PM

» Steve Centanni and Olaf Wigg, alive but captives from Right Truth
Holy Jihad Brigades is claiming responsibility for the kidnapping of Steve Centanni and Olaf Wigg, both Fox News Channel employees who have been missing for over a week. The terror group wants all Muslims to be released from U.S. jails [Read More]

Tracked on August 23, 2006 12:46 PM

» Steve Centanni and Olaf Wigg, alive but captives from Right Truth
Holy Jihad Brigades is claiming responsibility for the kidnapping of Steve Centanni and Olaf Wigg, both Fox News Channel employees who have been missing for over a week. The terror group wants all Muslims to be released from U.S. jails [Read More]

Tracked on August 23, 2006 3:32 PM