Blair vs. the BBC
The week's news at a glance.
London
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the BBC coverage of Hurricane Katrina was “anti-American,” according to media magnate Rupert Murdoch. Speaking at a seminar in New York last week, Murdoch said Blair had told him that the BBC World Service reportage “was just full of hate for America and gloating about our troubles.” Much of the British press immediately jumped on Blair, accusing him of being Murdoch’s “boot boy” and saying that if he had a criticism, he should make it openly. Blair has had run-ins with the BBC before, notably over its coverage of the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Murdoch’s British media properties include The Sun, The Times, and Sky News.
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