The head of the BBC has said US broadcasters' coverage of the Iraq war was so unquestioningly patriotic and lacking in impartiality that it threatened the credibility of America's electronic media.
BBC Director General Greg Dyke singled out News Corp's Fox News Channel, owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch, and Clear Channel Communications, the largest operator of radio stations in the United States, with over 1,200 stations, for special criticism.
"Personally, I was shocked while in the United States by how unquestioning the broadcast news media was during this war," Mr Dyke said in a speech at a University of London conference yesterday.
"If Iraq proved anything, it was that the BBC cannot afford to mix patriotism and journalism. This is happening in the United States and if it continues, will undermine the credibility of the US electronic news media".
Mr Dyke criticised the "gung-ho patriotism" of Fox News, the most popular US cable news network during the conflict, saying: "We are still surprised when we see Fox News with such a committed political position." A spokesman for Fox News declined comment.
He also attacked US radio broadcaster Clear Channel and warned against British media becoming "Americanised".
"We are genuinely shocked when we discover that the largest radio group in the United States was using its airwaves to organise pro-war rallies. We are even more shocked to discover that the same group wants to become a big player in radio in the United Kingdom when it is deregulated later this year," Mr Dyke said.Officials for Clear Channel said that any pro-war rallies linked to the company have been organised by individuals or individual stations rather than as a result of corporate policy.
Mr John Hogan, president and chief executive officer of Clear Channel's radio division, told Reuters: "to categorise this as a Clear Channel policy is just laughable.
Mr Dyke said, "For the health of our democracy, it's vital we don't follow the path of many American networks." He suggested the problem stemmed from the recent fragmentation of media, with no single network having the clout to stand up to the US government.
"This is particularly so since September 11 when many US networks wrapped themselves in the American flag and swapped impartiality for patriotism," Mr Dyke said.