Artist: Al Arabiya and al Jazeera
Confronting Bodies: Iraqi governing council and United States government officials
Date of Action: November 2003
Specific Location: Iraq
Description of Artwork: Al Arabiya and al Jazeera are top-rated television stations in the Middle East. They are known for their concise coverage of pan-Arab issues.
Description of Incident: Both stations aired footage of hooded men threatening to kill members of the U.S. appointed Iraqi governing council. The U.S. State Department called this, "irresponsible in the extreme." On 24 November, 2003, al Arabiya aired an audio tape reportedly made by Saddam Hussein, which Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called, "openly hostile to America." It must be noted that in a poll takenin the Middle East, 63% of the population prefer either al Jazeera or al Arabiya to other news stations.
Results of Incident: The governing council banned the two stations from reporting in Iraq for several weeks.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
Submitted By: NCAC