President Bush and White House officials criticized CNN on Friday for airing footage of snipers shooting U.S. soldiers in Iraq, saying the images are used as terrorist propaganda.
“Terrorists have tried to influence public opinion around the world and right here in the United States,” Bush said at a National Republican Senatorial Committee fundraiser. “They carry video cameras, film their atrocities, e-mail images and video clips to Middle Eastern cable networks like Al Jazeera and opinion leaders throughout the West.”
Later in the day, a CNN reporter asked White House Press Secretary Tony Snow to identify the Western opinion leaders cited by Bush.
“Well, I mean, your network has shown pictures of snipers hitting Americans, which is used as a propaganda tool,” Snow replied. “I’m sure the editors are savvy enough to know that when they get a video like this, it’s designed less to give you a full and complete view of what’s going on in the country than to create a sense of triumphalism for the killers of Americans.”
David Doss, executive producer of CNN’s “360” show, which aired the videotape on Wednesday, said the network “understood that some might conclude there is a public relations benefit for the insurgents if we aired the material, especially on CNN International.
“We also understood that this kind of footage is upsetting and disturbing for many viewers,” he said. “But after getting beyond the emotional debate, we concluded the tape meets our criteriafor newsworthiness.”
