De Volkskrant 21

Kijk, in tegenstelling tot de Volkskrant brengt een kwaliteitskrant het nieuws onafhankelijk, en het is notabe nog een Britse krant ook, de Independent:

'Both sides claim victory as Iran frees hostages
By Angus McDowall in Tehran and Colin Brown
Published: 05 April 2007

The Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was basking in triumph yesterday as he announced that the 15 British sailors and marines captured in disputed waters of the Persian Gulf two weeks ago would be freed.
The surprise decision, announced by the President after he awarded medals to the border guards who seized the UK service personnel, was presented as a gesture of magnanimity. But it also reflects a success for British diplomacy conducted under enormous public pressure.
The first Tony Blair knew of the release was when it was announced on television by Mr Ahmadinejad during a press conference. Downing Street and the Foreign Office had hoped for movement over the next few days, but expected nothing so sudden as an immediate release.
By the time they were presented to the world press, they had still not met British consular officials, who were kept waiting outside the presidential palace for the press conference to end.
"Iran has every right to put these people on trial but they have been pardoned," Mr Ahmadinejad said as he announced the face-saving solution in which neither side backed down from its position of principle. "They will be set free as a gift from the people of Iran to the people of Britain. And I ask Tony Blair's government not to punish these soldiers for having told the truth. I also ask him to be concerned with truth, justice and service to the British people."
Mr Ahmadinejad denied the release was part of a quid pro quo deal involving Iranians taken captive in Iraq, but Iranian reports yesterday suggested the country would be given access to five Revolutionary Guards officers detained by US forces in Arbil in January. On Tuesday, an Iranian diplomat, who was abducted by uniformed Iraqis in Baghdad in February, was released. Iran had accused the US of involvement in his detention.'

Lees verder: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2422650.ece

Toch heel anders van toon en strekking dan de Volkskrant-commentaar kop: 'Iran haalt bakzeil'

Waarom schrijft de Volkskrant dit? Simpel, omdat het Iran al als de foute partij had aangewezen, zonder dat men wist wat er allemaal op de achtergrond meespeelde en zonder dat men daar onderzoek naar verichtte. Integendeel, de Volkskrant had al een journalist naar het 'front' gestuurd om gecensureerde berichten vanaf een Amerikaans oorlogsschip te kunnen afdrukken. En nu de krant er helemaal naast zit, moet iemand de schuld krijgen. Iran dus, waardoor het lijkt alsof de Volkskrant niet volledig fout was. Ze hebben toch maar mooi bakzeil gehaald, want anders was het oorlog geweest, die gedachte dus.