Matt Szabo met Knight Ridder reporter Dion Nissenbaum during Richard Riordan's 2003 campaign for governor. Szabo was a campaign spokesman, and Nissenbaum covered the race for the San Jose Mercury. News today that Nissenbaum and a photographer were kidnapped in Gaza by a Palestinian gang calling themselves The Black Panthers, then released unharmed after seven hours, prompted a classy post on Szabo's always-thoughtful politics blog:

[The news] provides a sobering reality check for those of us who take for granted our ability to read reliable daily reports from the Middle East....Many California political flacks know Dion and his work. Before working for Knight Ridder, Dion was a recognizable figure among the statewide political press corps, writing for the Mercury News...

News that an acquaintance has been apprehended at gunpoint by terrorists (or wannabe terrorists) is a shocking reminder of the sacrifice reporters make to keep us informed. A reporter friend of mine, who recently returned from his own stint in the Middle East, responded with a simple, “all in a day’s work,” when I contacted him about the news. Good stuff.

We are thankful that Dion Nissenbaum is safe, and grateful for the service he and his colleagues in the news business provide.

Nissenbaum details what happened at Romenesko.