Christian Buck examines the role of the media in a hostage situation. Rarely has a case generated as much media attention as the kidnapping of the Wallert family from Göttingen on the Philippine island of Jolo in 2000. This incident is extensively reconstructed from various perspectives—real events, media coverage, and government actions—and compared with other cases: the Sahara hostages in Algeria and Mali in 2003, the kidnapping of Susanne Osthoff in Iraq in 2005, and the occupation of the US Embassy in Tehran from 1979 to 1981. From a constructivist perspective, the observations illustrate how the role of the media constrains the action framework of governments. The author also demonstrates how government and media can fulfill their distinctly different roles in such a situation.