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Qatar lodges official complaint about Fox News bias
28 Apr 2004
The Gulf state of Qatar has lodged an official complaint with the US Secretary of State over what it sees as biased reporting on Fox News. Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim told Colin Powell that the so-called news channel was damaging relations between the two countries by fabricating stories and stirring up hatred of Arabs.
"Most serious is that this channel gives a platform for your Mr Bush to spread his message of hate by broadcasting videos of him," he said. "He has been quite clearly inciting violence against Iraqis and other Arabs and it has to stop. That the channel's so-called commentators incessantly praise his bumbling performances is as wrong as it is ridiculous."
Left unmentioned was the coalition's command centre outside Doha, which has been used extensively for operations in the Gulf. It is thought that ministers could try to force America to abandon the base if Fox News does not stem what has been described as "a tide of hatred".
Mr Powell declined to answer a question on what the Bush administration could do to influence Fox News, citing a lack of time.
Sources at the Pentagon, however, told DeadBrain that any attack on Fox News journalists, such as detaining and beating them, as American soldiers are alleged to have done with journalists from the Qatar-based al-Jazeera news channel, "would not go unpunished".
The channel is meanwhile set to come under increased pressure to be fair and balanced during the run-up to the potential transfer of power in America in November. "I hope and believe that the vast majority of Americans will want to install a democratically-elected President in the White House, as opposed to the current interim leader," Mr Jassim added. "If Fox News does not cease broadcasting that leader's lies and propaganda, then I fear for America's future, I really do."
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