http://www.msnbc.com/news/997582.asp?0cv=CA00
Quote:
| BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 29 — One of the chief U.S. weapons in the battle to win Iraqi hearts and minds is Al-Iraqiya — a Pentagon-funded TV station with an optimistic, pro-American slant. ANNOUNCERS ON AL-IRAQIYA, which reaches 85 percent of Iraqis, decry the guerrillas attacking U.S. military and Iraqi civilian targets as “terrorists.” Problem is, those Iraqis fortunate enough to have satellite dishes consider Al-Iraqiya stodgy and slow on breaking news. They prefer Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya, the flashy Gulf-based stations where anti-American fighters are branded “resisters.” Recently, condemnation has focused on the Qatar- and Dubai-based networks. The U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council shut down Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya for “inciting murder” by broadcasting a voice said to belong to Saddam Hussein. The State Department approved of the temporary closure but groups advocating press freedom were enraged by it. |
