[A-List] NBC News Fires Arnett Over Iraqi TV Interview

[Macdonald Stainsby <mstainsby@xxxxxx>]

March 31, 2003
NBC News Fires Arnett Over Iraqi TV Interview
By JIM RUTENBERG/ N.Y. TIMES

NBC News today fired Peter Arnett, a correspondent based in Baghdad, saying
it was wrong for him to have given an interview with the state-run Iraqi TV
in which he said coalition forces had "failed because of Iraqi resistance."

Mr. Arnett, on NBC's "Today" show, said he was sorry for his statement, but
added, "I said over the weekend what we all know about the war."

He went on, "I want to apologize to the American people for clearly making a
misjudgment."

NBC and National Geographic defended Mr. Arnett on Sunday, saying he gave
the interview, which he saw as analysis, "out of professional courtesy."

But today, after speaking with the president of NBC News, Neal Shapiro, the
network said it could no longer work with Mr. Arnett, The Associated Press
reported.

"It was wrong for Mr. Arnett to grant an interview to state-controlled Iraqi
TV, especially at a time of war," an NBC spokeswoman, Allison Gollust, said.
"And it was wrong for him to discuss his personal observations and opinions
in that interview."

NBC TV also said today that Mr. Arnett would not be reporting for the MSNBC
show "The National Geographic Explorer" either.

Iraqi television showed the interview at least twice on Sunday afternoon.
CNN and Fox News Channel showed excerpts on Sunday night.

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican of Florida, said on Fox News
Channel that she found the interview "nauseating." She added, "It's
incredible he would be kowtowing to what clearly is the enemy in this way."

Asked if they would allow their reporters to be interviewed by Iraqi
television in the current climate, CNN and Fox News Channel said they would
not; CBS said it probably would not. An ABC News spokesman would say only
that its freelance correspondent in Baghdad, Richard Engel, is "out there
getting interviews, not giving them."

Mr. Arnett was a CNN correspondent in Baghdad during the Persian Gulf war in
1991. The Iraqis evicted all major Western television correspondents except
Mr. Arnett. Iraqi officials said then that Mr. Arnett had "proven
impartiality."

In the interview, Mr. Arnett said American war planners had failed to pay
attention to his reporting. "In my commentaries on television I would tell
the Americans about the determination of the Iraqi forces, the determination
of the government, and the willingness to fight for their country," he
said....

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/31/international/worldspecial/31CND-ARNE.html
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Macdonald Stainsby
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
--
In the contradiction lies the hope.
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