Fox Plays Whole Tape, Unexamined

Fox News Channel broke ranks with other cable news networks Tuesday and aired a new, 16-minute audiotape, purported to be of Osama bin Laden, live as it was being broadcast to the Arab world by satellite television network Al Jazeera. The tape aired with a Fox-provided English translation.

The network’s actions were in contrast to the way networks have generally handled messages thought to be from Bin Laden and Al Qaeda since shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. Fearful of disseminating messages to Al Qaeda supporters that could be hidden in the tapes, and leery of giving air time to propaganda, networks have largely chosen to review tapes first for their newsworthiness and then air excerpts.

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, in an October 2001 meeting, asked network executives to use caution airing unedited Bin Laden videotapes.

On Tuesday, both CNN and MSNBC reviewed the tape before airing several minutes of excerpts, using their own translations as well.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell announced the existence of the tape in an appearance before a Senate committee. Immediately after Fox aired the tape, Fox anchor Shepard Smith told viewers that because Powell had already discussed the tape’s content in public, Fox decided “it would not be aiding the enemy, so to speak, to take it live to air, as was already happening throughout the Arab world.”

A CNN spokeswoman, calling Bin Laden statements “largely propaganda,” said, “We believe that to give air time to Osama bin Laden’s statement in its entirety without reviewing it first would be irresponsible.”

She declined to comment on Fox. An MSNBC spokesperson said it waited to air portions of the tape “because we wanted to make sure we knew and understood what we were dealing with.”

Separately, Fox and MSNBC executives said their decisions to keep the words “Terror Alert High” constantly on screen since the national threat was raised to orange last week weren’t meant to cause undue alarm.

“It’s one thing when somebody yells ‘Fire!’ in a crowded theater, and it’s another thing when top government officials are telling you to go buy duct tape, candles, batteries,” said Mark Effron, an MSNBC vice president.

He called the graphic a “public service” similar to the Dow stock average.

A Fox spokesman said, “It’s just keeping people informed.” CNN removed its own terror graphic Tuesday after constantly displaying it for several days.