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BBC to Be Told to Censor Bin Laden Video Tapes
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has summoned the BBC and other broadcasters to talks at Downing Street this week in which they will be told to censor any further video tapes smuggled out by Osama bin Laden, a local newspaper reported Friday.
Blair's official spokesman said that the talks were being called due to concerns about news coverage. He said that the two video tapes which had been smuggled out of Afghanistan by bin Laden and released to the Arab satellite television channel, al- Jazeera, could contain coded secret messages to terrorists in Britain.
The BBC has expressed its willingness to attend the meeting and was "very happy" to listen to what the government would say.
Blair will also put pressure on British television and radio news programs to be "more skeptical" of Taliban claims that civilians are being killed during the bombing of Afghanistan, the report said.
The newspaper said the government fears that it is losing the propaganda war which is vital to the allied coalition after a week of unrest in many Arab states.
On Thursday the prime minister admitted that the allies needed to "upgrade considerably our media and public opinion campaign."
According to other media reports, the Taliban on Saturday night allowed a group of Western journalists into Afghan territory.
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