Al Hurra TV News Chief Draws Lawmakers' Ire
When the Bush administration launched Al Hurra TV, the idea was to promote America in the Muslim world. But some lawmakers who funded it are calling for the resignation of the station's news director.
His critics say that Larry Register, who doesn't speak Arabic, has given voice to terrorists, airing a lengthy live broadcast of Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hasan Nasrallah, a live interview with Hamas leader Ismail Haniya and yet another with an al-Qaida operative.
State Department officials will only call these errors in judgment. But critics of the station, whose name means "the Free One" in Arabic, say there is little oversight to what the U.S.-funded TV is showing.
Related NPR Stories
Alhurra: America's Broadcast Campaign July 20, 2005
Iraq and the Mechanisms of Democracy Jan. 24, 2005
U.S.-Funded Arabic TV Channel Fights for Credibility June 21, 2004
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