Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03SANAA1742
2003-07-20 11:20:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Sanaa
Cable title:  

ENCOURAGING BALANCED ARAB MEDIA COVERGE OF IRAQ

Tags:  PREL KPAO YM 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SANAA 001742

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/13/2013
TAGS: PREL KPAO YM
SUBJECT: ENCOURAGING BALANCED ARAB MEDIA COVERGE OF IRAQ

REF: STATE 199008

Classified By: Ambassador Edmuind J. Hull, Reasons 1.5(b and d)

1, (C) We totally agree with the Department's assessment of
the Arab media coverage of Iraq. That picture is repeated
here in Yemen, with all media outlets, official and
independent, carrying similar tunes. During the war in Iraq,
Ambassador and PAO Sana'a made personal calls to the official
media and some independent media to ask for a more balanced
approach. As a result, we witnessed a diminution of the
strident rhetoric we were seeing in some newspapers. Our
latest attempt to place an Op-Ed article on some coalition
successes in Iraq bore fruit. Six independent newspapers
carried the article and four newspapers commented on it
(septel).


2. (C) We note however that it is not just the Arab media
that has been guilty of misrepresenting the facts or carrying
one-sided reports. We have seen unbalanced and
sensationalized coverage on CNN and other American networks.


3. (C) In response to your latest call, we will expand our
aggresive campaign to ask for a balanced coverage of events
in Iraq. Ambassador will emphasize progress in Iraq, e.g.,
the formation of the Governing Council, in a series of media
interviews and make the points suggested in reftel during his
meetings with ROYG officials. PD section will meet with the
editors of all the media in Sana'a starting week of July 20
and, whenever possible, with editors in other cities, to
deliver the same message. This method has worked well for us
in the past.


4. (C) In the meantime, we would welcome: (1) indications
that the security situation is improving in the country, (2)
indications that Iraqis are increasingly governing
themselves, (3) indications that daily life is improving for
the average Iraqi.
HULL