President Bush has complained that Arabic television often gives a false impression of the United States and that Americans needed to do a better job of communicating their ideals.
Unveiling a National Security Language Initiative to boost the teaching of foreign languages, Mr Bush said it was a way to help combat the notion that the United States was bullying in imposing its concept of freedom.
"You can't convince people unless you can talk to them," Mr Bush told a State Department audience.
The initiative - which aims to boost learning of Russian, Chinese, Hindi, Farsi, Arabic and other languages - was part of a strategic plan to protect the United States and spread democracy, Mr Bush said.
"You can't figure out America when you're looking on some of these TV stations - you just can't - particularly given the message that they spread," he said. "Arabic TV does not do our country justice."
"They . . . sometimes put out propaganda that just isn't right, it isn't fair, and it doesn't give people the impression of what we're about."
State Department officials said the aim of the plan was to to get children involved in learning foreign languages from kindergarten and to fund more programmes through university-level and beyond.
Assistant Secretary of State Barry Lowenkron expressed hope that it would "ramp up the mastery of these critical languages, not solely for national security reasons but also in terms of America's standing in the world".