The detailed account of Farrell’s 4-day ordeal is unlike anything we’ve ever read, and if you can read it without tearing up — especially at the end when Farrell speaks about his translator Sultan Munadi who was killed during the rescue raid — then you are certainly made of stone.

Farrell’s story is unique because many journalists that survive captivity seem too shaken to speak about their experiences, particularly in the first days after their release. Times reporter David Rohde, who escaped from months of Taliban captivity earlier this summer, has yet to tell his story, and Laura Ling and Euna Lee, recently freed from North Korea, took a few weeks before making a statement about their arrest. They still haven’t given specific details about their captivity. At least not the way Farrell has.

Farrell speaks at length about this captors’ organization or lack thereof, their efforts to indoctrinate him into the Muslim faith and their threats against Munadi:

“There were good hours, and bad ones. Progress and setbacks. They reported to Sultan that their elders — the word ‘commandant’ was used frequently — thought that we were ‘not security people so are to be treated well.’

But then our status as journalists was called into question again, and it became an endless series of assurances and reassurances. They allowed Sultan to talk to his mother and father, which was encouraging, but on the second day Sultan picked up that they might be seeking money, and on Day 3 an exchange of prisoners. He became glum at this, especially so when two Taliban told him that while they were confident that an exchange could be arranged for me, not so for him…Another reminded him that an Italian journalist had once been exchanged, but his translator was no so fortunate. ‘He was beheaded,’ the unsmiling youngster said, to Sultan’s face. He translated it, faithfully but with a gray face.”

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Starting September off strong, Jason Boog of GalleyCat and AgencySpy‘s Matt Van Hoven had lots of media news to talk about this morning on the mediabistro.com Morning Media Menu podcast, including a tasteless ad and imprisoned journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee‘s first statement since their release from North Korea last month.

Yesterday, Matt tracked a story on AgencySpy about a purported ad for World Wildlife Fund, which showed a scene that played off of the idea of September 11. The point of the ad, which depicted several planes nosediving into lower Manhattan, was to illustrate how many more people were killed in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami than in the World Trade Center attacks.

Once the ad became public, WWF denounced it as “offensive and tasteless” and said it never should have seen the light of day. But, now the world — or at least most of New York — has seen it, just a few days before the eighth anniversary of this horrible day in our city’s history.

And speaking of a horrible day, Matt and Jason also discussed Ling and Lee’s harrowing tale of their arrest in North Korea in March. However, Matt was quick to point out that in their statement released today, the journalists were careful to emphasize the reason that they were near North Korea at all, which was to report on sex trafficking and North Korean defectors.

“The story of these two is so compelling, but I think it’s sort of over,” Matt said. “And there is this whole other big issue that I hope doesn’t get lost.”

Also discussed: ad spending dropped more than 15 percent during the first half of the year; Laura Ling’s shopping a book with her sister, journalist and former member of “The View,” Lisa Ling; and an update on the Google book settlement.

You can listen to all the past podcasts at BlogTalkRadio.com/mediabistro and call in at 646-929-0321.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Ling and Lee spent five months in captivity and were sentenced to 12 years hard labor before being set free last month. In their joint statement published today on Current TV’s Web site, they explain how they were detained by North Korean authorities on March 17 along the Tumen River, which separates China and North Korea. The journalists found themselves along the river while working on a story about North Korean defectors and human trafficking. People are regularly trafficked across the Tumen, Ling and Lee explained.

Although they were suspicious of their whereabouts, Ling and Lee followed their guide — who they trusted — onto North Korean soil. They were there for only a minute, but that didn’t stop North Korean guards with guns from chasing them into China and dragging them back onto forbidden soil.

The women provide even more details about the events that lead to their arrest:

“When we set out, we had no intention of leaving China, but when our guide beckoned for us to follow him beyond the middle of the river, we did, eventually arriving at the riverbank on the North Korean side. He pointed out a small village in the distance where he told us that North Koreans waited in safe houses to be smuggled into China via a well-established network that has escorted tens of thousands across the porous border.”

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Reuters: Cox Enterprises has taken the Austin American-Statesman off the market. “This is a profitable company, and it just did not make sense to sell it for the prices offered,” publisher Michael Vivio said.

Editor & Publisher: The New York Times has axed actor and business columnist Ben Stein because of this Freescore.com ad. Reuter’s Felix Salmon may be a little too gleeful about this.

Broadcast Union News: The unions are protesting bankrupt Tribune Co.‘s request to pay almost $70 million in bonuses to executives. A bankruptcy court judge will hold a hearing on the matter next week.

Gawker: There are reports that NBC is laying off its creative services promotional teams at local stations around the country.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

“All of us at Current are overjoyed at Laura and Euna’s safe return,” Current Media founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt said in the statement. “Our hearts go out to them — and to their families — for persevering through this horrible experience. We will have more to say in the days and weeks ahead. But for now, all our thoughts are with Laura and Euna and their families, who have shown remarkable courage and initiative for the 140 days of this ordeal.”

According to the statement, Lee and Ling will be returning home this morning. You can visit the site to send them a message or view some of their work.

Current TV has been quiet about its detained reporters since their arrest in March, so we’re looking forward to what the company will have to say “in the days and weeks ahead.”

Meanwhile, today more information came out regarding Clinton’s trip to North Korea, how it came about and what he talked about with the nation’s Supreme Leader.

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Today on the media- bistro.com Morning Media Menu podcast, hosts Jason Boog of GalleyCat and AgencySpy‘s Matt Van Hoven dissect the day’s biggest media headlines from mediabistro blogs and beyond.

First on deck, the TVNewser’s most recent story about the alleged Olbermann-O’Reilly truce. Did talks on the matter date back to 2008? Is there really an agreement at all?

Also discussed: former President Bill Clinton‘s trip to North Korea to help negotiate the release of imprisoned journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling, Wired magazine’s story on the Marine Corps banning Twitter, Facebook and all other social media sites and CNN‘s dispute with anti-”birther” ads set to run during Lou Dobbs‘ show.

You can listen to all the past podcasts at BlogTalkRadio.com/mediabistro and call in at 646-929-0321.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Lee and Ling were sentenced to 12 years hard labor in June, after their arrest in North Korea in March.

We have been hoping for the reporters’ safe release since their original detainment, which has gone on for far too long. We’re trying to stay hopeful that Clinton can help speed up the process and help Lee and Ling finally get home.

FishbowlDC: Former Pres. Clinton Heading to North Korea to Negotiate For Detained Journos

Big Fat UPDATE: Clinton met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il today, who decided to issue a “special pardon” to Lee and Ling and ordered that they be released.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The news brought relief to a community overwhelmed by stories of violence against and arrests of journalists in Iran and the recent conviction of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee in North Korea.

But after the relief subsided, other questions arose. Why had no one reported Rohde’s kidnapping? According to Editor & Publisher editor Greg Mitchell, at least 40 news outlets knew about Rohde’s captivity, but they decided not to broadcast the news at the request of the Times. Mitchell said he worried that keeping the kidnapping a secret would jeopardize other reporters heading to the region, but ultimately decided it was the best cause of action in this case.

“I wonder now if a great debate will break out over media ethics in not reporting a story involving one of their own when they so eagerly rush out piece about nearly everything else,” Mitchell said in a post on The Huffington Post. “I imagine some may claim that the blackout would not have held if a smaller paper, not the mighty New York Times, had been involved. Or is saving this life (actually two, there was a local reporter also snatched) self-evidently justification enough?”

Did the press make the right decision to not report David Rohde’s kidnapping?(online surveys)

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“This is a story about hard core criminals,” Hansen said. “These are people who get up every morning and look for something to steal or someone to scam in order to make their living. That’s what they do. But because the town is…24/7 and always filled with people…it creates targets for criminals…It also creates this very colorful backdrop on which to examine this very seedy part of society.”

However, Hansen has become recognizable due to the popularity of his “To Catch A Predator” specials, which now affects his ability to do undercover work — usually for the better.

“There is that recognition and…in this case and in most cases, it works in our favor,” Hansen said. “There is this moment when people are like, ‘Hey, you’re that guy,’ then, ‘Hey, I’m in that show.’ It also sort of disarms them in a way and for whatever reason it makes them feel more comfortable talking to me.”

Hansen said that “Vegas Undercover” features a lot of bold criminals, although the craziest thing he witnessed was a man demonstrating how to turn a $5 bill into $100. The oblivious criminal was actually showing undercover police how to counterfeit money and he was subsequently arrested.

Also discussed, what Hansen loves about working for a newsmagazine, his take on Twitter and social media and Laura Ling and Euna Lee‘s imprisonment in North Korea.

You can listen to all the past podcasts at BlogTalkRadio.com/mediabistro and call in at 646-929-0321.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Following their conviction, Lee and Ling were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, although there is already talk that North Korea might attempt to trade their release for money or a diplomatic visit.

The two women were detained by North Korean officials on March 17 along the border of China while doing research on defectors for Current TV. Since their arrest, the U.S. government has asked for their release, but North Korea is either turning a deaf ear to the U.S.’s pleas, or our government is not trying very hard to get them released. Maybe now the thought that these American citizens will be subjected to over a decade of torturous “hard labor” will spur diplomats into action.

We hope for a speedy release for Euna and Laura, but we can’t help but think that — if they do get out — they’re going to have a horrifying, intense and fascinating story to tell. We can’t wait to hear their side of this terrifying story.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.