[iamcreasy]

>19 people rescued. You're next. Don't lose hope.

Me : I think it should mean, you might be the next to be rescued.

>If this message had any tangible effect, why aren't there any first hand accounts from the hostages explaining what they did differently as a result of hearing the message?

From the article : In his military psychological evaluation, Col. Espejo says that the soldier spoke of hearing "the code hidden in the song," and revealed how the message was passed from soldier to soldier. The song was even enjoyed by the FARC, who were oblivious to its secret message. "It makes me very happy to think of the hostages listening to our song," Ortiz says.

From the article : Someone who is a hostage, for over a decade, would think there is still hope. But I too find the article lacking in this.

> who understood it were some of the hostages? This just proves the point that it's un-actionable.

From the article : Operation Chameleon — a sixth-month operation that involved 300 government soldiers and secret raids. Because the FARC shoots hostages dead at the first sight of a military invasion.

From the article : Espejo reasoned, "The FARC were peasants from the fields, they wouldn’t know [Morse].

> But they're trying to make it sound like a big intelligence or military coup, which it is not.

Me : No, they are not. It's an extension of Operation Chameleon - That's what I think.

> If the government claimed that the message was simply a way to make the hostages keep up hope, then OK.

Me : Exactly, but it's an understatement. For those who are suffering, this news would mean a world to them.

[kilburn]

> Me : I think it should mean, you might be the next to be rescued.

You are entirely right. The original message is in spanish, where "you" (singular) is different than "you" (plural). The form used in the message is the plural one. Now it's clear that your interpretation is the correct one ;)

[shutupalready]

> Me : I think it should mean, you might be the next to be rescued.

But what specifically would you have done differently if you were a hostage and had received this message? Don't answer, "I'd keep up hope." "Not losing hope" is not an action.

The message has no particular call to action. That's my main point. My second point is that even if you named some specific action you'd take, someone else would have had a different idea because it's so vague.

A compassionate message could mean the world to a hostage. That's true. But a compassionate message and a useful message are not the same thing.

[iamcreasy]

As far as I understand, this messages was used in conjunction with Operation Chameleon. On it's own this message wasn't supposed to do anything, but it had to be discrete because this operation was clandestine.

The goal was to give them hope. That's the point. To let them know that there is help on the way, but there in't no accurate account by how far.

The `action` here is the Operation Chameleon, which is a secret.