April 1, 2003	Tuesday	Muharram 28, 1424

WASHINGTON, March 31: Two of US television’s big-name journalists were sacked from high-profile assignments in Iraq on Monday for breaking reporting rules.

Peter Arnett, the journalist who won a Pulitzer for reporting the 1991 Gulf war, was sacked on Monday for stating on Iraq TV that America’s initial war plan had failed and anti-war protests had undermined the Bush administration’s strategy.

“It was wrong for Mr. Arnett to grant an interview to state controlled Iraqi TV especially at a time of war, and it was wrong for him to discuss his personal observations and opinions in that interview,” said his employer Neal Shapiro, who heads NBC News. “Therefore, Peter Arnett will no longer be reporting for NBC News and MSNBC.”

GERALDO RIVERA: The US military has expelled an American journalist, Fox News Channel’s Geraldo Rivera, from Iraq.

CNN quotes US military officials as saying Geraldo violated “the cardinal rule of war reporting Monday by giving away crucial details of future military operations during a live broadcast.” It gave no further information.