New York Times reporter Barry Bearak was released, on bail, by Zimbabwean authorities after being detained for penning a critical (factual?) article on Robert Mugabe. Bearak originally requested to keep his byline off the piece, for fear of retribution, but later allowed it to be included. "Under the terms of his bail, Mr. Bearak was released to a clinic; he suffered some injuries to his back as the result of a fall from the concrete bunk in his dark, crowded cell to the floor, seven feet below, Mr. Nkomo said. Mr. Bearak’s passport was confiscated, and he was required to put up 300 million Zimbabwe dollars as bail, about $10,000 at official exchange rates but only about $7 at black market rates."

Turns out New York Times reporter Barry Bearak made the wrong last-minute call to attach his name to a Robert Mugabe story he filed from Zimbabwe: He was promptly arrested, as were other American and foreign journalists in a crackdown on the press as Mugabe attempts to swindle his way into another presidential term. Now, fearing retribution, CNN and the BBC have also begun airing reports with their reporters faces concealed, hidden in a shadow, in what's likely a first for both networks.

Fearing the wrath of Robert Mugabe, the New York Times' Barry Bearak originally requested to keep his byline off a Page One article about the Zimbabwean president, where he reported the opposition party beat the incumbent's camp country's election, and may have also taken away the presidency. But then the story started getting pick up! "But as more Western journalists used their bylines and as the story grew more prominent," said a Times spokeswoman, "Barry felt it was time to use his byline, which appeared in the latest editions of the newspaper." So, if we're reading this correctly, he traded vanity for safety?