STATEMENT OF SUPPORT.

As many of you already know - the U.S. Military has filed extremely serious charges against Ilario Pantano - CameraPlanet's former Director of News Operations. While we have no knowledge of what happened in Iraq, we do have a great deal of experience regarding Mr. Pantano and his character during his work at CameraPlanet.

A detailed and dedicated manager, Mr. Pantano took over CameraPlanet's newsgathering operation as we entered a period of extreme danger, complexity, and risk.

During his tenure with CP - he oversaw more than twelve months of production, including work that sent Eve Ensler and a crew to Afghanistan, Linda Ellerbee and a crew to Afghanistan, and Peter Arnett, and a crew to Afghanistan and Iraq. Often on call 24 hrs a day, Ilario was dedicated and focused on the safety and security of all of the members of the crew - establishing detailed and thoughtful protocols to keep our teams out of harms way. Mr. Pantano was instrumental in hiring our traveling security teams, and in assuring that all members of the team operated within agreed upon parameters.

In addition to the newsgathering trips mentioned above, Mr. Pantano oversaw an assignment for the State Department, documenting the opening of new schools in Afghanistan. This too was conducted with dedication and detail.

There was never a time that we found him to be anything other than thoughtful, focused, and rigorous.

Those that worked with him were impressed with his ability to work hand in hand with people of diverse beliefs, focused instead on his mission to move journalists and support personnel in and out of dangerous situations.

We support Mr. Pantano, and have every expectation that he will be found not guilty and returned to his family with his reputation restored.