CBS took a page out of Hollywood's book to conceal the identity of the author of the upcoming book about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
Mark Owen, the name under which the former Navy SEAL published the book No Easy Day, was given heavy makeup so that he could safely appear on camera during his interview with anchor Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes. "You would be astounded; it's not anything like what he looks like," Pelley told the CBS Morning News.
Owen told Pelley that before the raid, the Pentagon built a full-size recreation of bin Laden's compound, on which they practiced; CBS built a small-scale version of the complex.
He also told CBS that he had no political agenda and the book has no bias.
"My worry from the beginning is that it's a political season," he said. "This book is not political whatsoever. It doesn't badmouth either party, and we specifically chose Sept. 11 to keep it out of the politics. If the crazies on either side of the aisle, shame on them."
The makeup may now be superfluous; earlier in August, Fox News revealed his real name, which was later confirmed by the Associated Press. He then received death threats on al Qaeda-linked web forums, NBC News reported.
Owen is also under threat from the Pentagon, which is reportedly considering legal action against him for violating a non-disclosure agreement.
0 comments:
Post a Comment