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Blunkett CondemnedThu, April 03, 2003Source: Ananova NewsDavid Blunkett is accused of insulting British journalists reporting from Iraq, after he claimed they are giving a distorted pictureDavid Blunkett is accused of insulting British journalists reporting from Iraq, after he claimed they are giving a distorted picture of events in the current war. The Home Secretary claims reporters are treating the UK and American forces and the Iraqi regime as if they were "moral equivalents". He also accused Arab satellite TV station al-Jazeera - which has suspended broadcasts from Iraq - of being "linked into" to the Saddam regime. There has been a growing sense of frustration within the Government the image of war being presented to the British public, particularly by TV's 24-hour news channels, is undermining support for the conflict. They believe a focus on the deaths of civilians and Allied troops and on setbacks have distracted attention from the overall "success" of the campaign. Daily Mail correspondent Ross Benson, speaking from Baghdad, described Mr Blunkett's comments as "deeply offensive" to reporters working there. He told the BBC: "I find it rather offensive from where I'm standing. What we have and what the Iraqis don't have is the freedom to express our views. I am here to report not what the Iraqis tell me, but what I personally see. "For Blunkett to suggest in some way that I was a stooge of Saddam is deeply offensive. "I think it is the responsibility of all journalists - and the journalists here are very seasoned professionals - to see what we can and then to sort the wheat from the chaff and draw the most sensible conclusions we can." |
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