What Price Freedom For Captive Journalists?

Kidnapped Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo (pictured) was freed after two weeks in captivity. The Times of London reports that Mastrogiacomo’s freedom came at cost now reverberating in Rome and Afghanistan: the release of five senior Taliban figures from a Kabul prison:

But there was strong condemnation of the agreement, with critics accusing the Afghan and Italian governments of negotiating with terrorists.

For the British government, negotiating with Palestinian terrorists for Alan Johnston’s freedom is easier since the the BBC has already convinced viewers they’re dealing with “militants.”