Killing the story

Serb television headquarters was bombed during the Kosovo conflict because it was seen as an agent and advocate of state terrorism.

November 19th, 2001 – The Guardian reported “How smart was this bomb” about a bomb that destroyed Al-Jazeera’s offices in Kabul, Afghanistan. The reports stated, “Al-Jazeera certainly believes it was a target. Speaking on the telephone to News World from Qatar, its chief editor, Ibrahim Hilal, said he believed that it's Kabul office had been on the Pentagon's list of targets since the beginning of the conflict”. US military's central command centre in Florida, spokesman Colonel Brian Hoey denied that Al-Jazeera was a target.

"The US military does not and will not target media. We would not, as a policy, target news media organisations - it would not even begin to make sense."

He said that the bombing of Serb TV HQ in Belgrade during the Kosovo conflict was a different issue - the targets in question "appeared to have government facilities associated with them". It wasn't soldiers blown to pieces in the rubble. It was the people who apply makeup, the cameramen, and the journalists who were inside. People like 27-year-old technician Ksenija Bankovic. In all, sixteen media workers were killed in the bombing.

March 24th, 2003 – Al-Jazeera Launches Website in English

April 2nd, 2003 – The Guardian reports, “A hotel in Basra being used as a base by al-Jazeera's team of correspondents in the city was shelled this morning, the Arabic TV news channel has claimed. The Basra Sheraton, whose only guests are al-Jazeera journalists, received four direct hits this morning during a heavy artillery bombardment, according to the Qatar-based broadcaster.”

April 8th, 2003 – Al Jazeera reported, "Al-Jazeera office is located in a residential area and there is no way that the attack was a mistake." said Yasser Abu Hilalah, Al-Jazeera correspondent. They were both standing on the roof getting ready for a live broadcast amid intensifying bombardment of the city when the building was hit by two missiles. Shortly afterwards, US warplanes returned to hit the neighbouring Abu Dhabi TV offices.

April 8th, 2003 – Reuters reports,

"A U.S. tank fired on a Baghdad hotel packed with foreign journalists on Tuesday, killing two cameramen, one from Reuters, the other from Spanish television."

Lebanese-born Samia Nakhoul, Reuters' Gulf bureau chief based in Dubai, and Iraqi photographer Faleh Kheiber suffered facial and head wounds and concussion.

Now we hear today that Blair “talked” Bush out of bombing al jazeera’s Dohar based HQ office according to a story today in the Daily Mirror.

The Mirror quoted an unnamed British government official as saying Bush's threat was "humorous, not serious".

So humorous that the alleged leaker of the 5 page transcript, Civil servant David Keogh, 49 and the recipient Leo O'Connor, 42 assistant to MP Tony Clarke are both bailed to appear in court accused under the Official Secrets Act at Bow Street Magistrates Court,London next week.

Clarke returned the memo to Downing Street. He said O'Connor had behaved "pefectly correctly".

Burly, beefy, boozy Scouse MP, Peter Kilfoyle, Blair’s ex Minister for Defence challenged Downing Street to publish the transcript.

The Guardian and Newsweek late tuesday night state that the Government have introduced controls to prevent discussion or publication of the alleged leak.

Must have been a really homourous suggestion by George about bombing al jazeera HQ offices in Doha, Qatar - just near to the HQ of Centcom.

State Dept Briefing on Bush in Far East today Tuesday 22nd November

QUESTION: Yeah, just that report from the British Daily Mirror and the plot to bomb Al Jazeera, et cetera, et cetera. Two people are going next week to court in Britain. I wonder if the State Department had anything to add, other than this dismissal today by the White House and --

MR. MCCORMACK: Nope.

QUESTION: Nothing really?

MR. MCCORMACK: Nope. Nothing, to add. The White House addressed the issue. It is a -- you know, this was a report concerning an alleged -- you know, alleged topic of conversation or content of conversation between the President and Prime Minister Blair. I think the White House has responded to it. I don't have anything to add.