EFFORTPOST Daniel Pearl, but this time FBI, gore and video drama described

Summary how it begun:

LAST FRIDAY, the Boston Phoenix published a link to http://ProHosters.com, a Web-hosting company, which has made available the video released by the murderers of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Deciding whether to link to the video from our home page was clear-cut. "This is the single most gruesome, horrible, despicable, and horrifying thing I’ve ever seen," Phoenix publisher Stephen Mindich wrote in an online note below the link. "If there is anything that should galvanize every non–Jew hater in the world — of whatever faith, or of no faith — against the perpetrators and supporters of those who committed this unspeakable murder, it should be viewing this video."

Some background: last week, the unedited video, portions of which were broadcast nationally by CBS news, surfaced on http://Ogrish.com, a customer of ProHosters. Shortly afterward, the FBI ordered http://Ogrish.com to take the video off its site. In an Associated Press report, FBI agent Sandra Carroll said that the FBI did so "out of consideration for the [Pearl] family."

Before video, there were few photos. They were sent to officials on 27th to 30th of January 2002 (different sources, different days):

FBI also had problems with WTC content, which is quite funny, as someone claiming they're from FBI made a comment under one of posts. Then Ogrish published short news regarding recent IP logs. Apparently glad FBI's here and inviting to see more stuff. Early reactions on Pearl post-beheading video - as actually there's no beheading shown here due to skipping this moment while recording - that I've came across seems expectable. Main difference was people in 2002 not yet used to gore existing online. While I could find video hosted the same year, I couldn't find on http://archive.org Ogrish news from February 2002 (just from May 200, about removal). Archived multimedia list was from June 2002, just like first http://archive.org version of mentioned ProHosters video:

https://web.archive.org/web/20020603233719/http://prohosters.com/pearl/

Original comment said:

As stated in the current news reports http://Prohosters.com was contacted by officials of the FBI to remove a video from one of our customers sites. While we reserve our comments on the moral issues of this video we feel this was a breach of the first amendment of our constitution. Many people have asked us about the content of this video. So we have decided to stand behind our customer http://Ogrish.com and release the video. Daniel Pearl as a news reporter would have fought for his first amendment rights as we are for our customer.

On not-gore-enjoying side, it seems more concern was made over family views or general public views. Ted Hickman, the owner of ProHosters, said the FBI insisted on immediately taking video down and giving out identity of person running Ogrish. He felt like they intended to intimidate him, so video would be brought down without paperwork. What FBI's Newark office spokeswoman told public was vague and meant nothing apart there's investigation ongoing. It was unclear, because there was no legal reason to bring video down. A 1996 federal obscenity law couldn't be applied here, because video didn't 'appeal to the prurient interest' - beheading wasn't considered horny stuff. They ran out of arguments:

The FBI even tried to get the name of the creator of http://Ogrish.com out of Hickman, who told agents he’d comply only if they came back with a subpoena. He then contacted the American Civil Liberties Union, which in turn contacted the FBI. Since then, the FBI has stopped trying to suppress publication of the video, and ProHosters is linking to it from its home page with a letter from Hickman about his decision to air the video.

Here's the letter. https://web.archive.org/web/20020605191022/http://prohosters.com/pearl/press.htm

Video was online, and its influence was still mentioned in interviews (case had a follow up in 2020 and after, so it still is). Daniel and Mariane married in 1999. When Daniel was kidnapped and murdered, she was 5 or 6 months pregnant. Mariane gave interview in Oprah Winfrey Show and it appeared in October 2003. Here are photos of Daniel and Mariane, and their son Adam.

After nearly 30 second long part of the video was aired (not including graphic content, just the 'admitting' to being Jew etc.), this was Mariane and rest of family opinion:

But in a statement issued after the broadcast, Pearl's widow, Mariane, and his family, said that while Rather “attempts to rationalize the network's heartless decision to air this despicable terrorist propaganda video, it is beyond our comprehension that any mother, wife, father or sister should have to relive this horrific tragedy and watch their loved one being repeatedly terrorized.”

When interviewed by Oprah in 2003 stated she didn't see the full video and didn't intend to. She knew what was in it because dear friend described content to her, although sparing graphic details. They wanted Mariane to just know and accept reality. She claimed at first she wants Adam to only know his father personality, type of humour, in general: type of person he was. But also realized that when he grow up, he will have access to graphic content, and no matter if she wants to watch it or not - Adam should know his father was kidnapped, beheaded and terrorist propaganda video is out there.

Nick Berg in May 2004 sparked similar controversies. Pearl and Berg families met each other, and shared their quite unique experiences of their loved one being on one of first well-known gore videos online.

https://web.archive.org/web/20020923195648/http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,52772,00.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20020615220106/https://bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/editorial/documents/02299081.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20031001222839/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,490640,00.html

https://aish.com/48907142/

https://www.oprah.com/omagazine/oprah-interviews-mariane-pearl/all