The USA has its own methods of silencing the media

http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,1361,597067,00.html

How smart was this bomb?

Did the US mean to hit the Kabul offices of Al-Jazeera TV? Some journalists are convinced it was targeted for being on the 'wrong side'. Matt Wells reports

Monday November 19, 2001
The Guardian


When World Service correspondent William Reeve dived under his desk in Kabul to avoid shrapnel from the US missile that had landed next door, some think it marked a turning point in war reporting.

The US had scored a direct hit on the offices of the Qatar-based TV station Al-Jazeera, leading to speculation that the channel had been targeted deliberately because of its contacts with the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. If true, it opens up a worrying development for news organisations covering wars and conflicts: now they could be targeted simply for reporting a side of the story that one party wants suppressed.

Gowing's argument was that Al-Jazeera's only crime was that it was "bearing witness" to events that the US would rather it did not see. Indeed there is no clear evidence that Al-Jazeera directly supported the Taliban - simply that it enjoyed greater access than other stations. Certainly, Al-Jazeera reflects a certain cultural tradition: but only in the same way that CNN approaches stories from a western perspective.




http://electroniciraq.net/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/10/582

US warplanes bomb Al Jazeera office, kill journalist

Al-Jazeera correspondent Tariq Ayoub was killed on Tuesday when two US missiles struck the Baghdad offices of the Qatar-based channel. Shortly afterwards, US warplanes returned to hit the neighbouring Abu Dhabi TV offices. Five other journalists including three from the news agency Reuters were also injured when a tank fired a round at the Palestine Hotel where at least 200 international correspondents are staying in Baghdad."

Al-Jazeera correspondent Tariq Ayoub was killed on Tuesday when two US missiles struck the Baghdad offices of the Qatar-based channel.

Five other journalists including three from the news agency Reuters were also injured when a tank fired a round at the Palestine Hotel where at least 200 international correspondents, including Al-Jazeera reporters, are staying in Baghdad.

"We regret to inform you that our cameraman and correspondent Tariq Ayoub was killed this morning during the US missile strike on our Baghdad office," the Qatar-based channel said in a statement read out during its news bulletin.

:grr:

But that's a problem, not something to be mindlessly cheered on like RCTV being shut down.