BOSTON, July 27: Americans tuning into television coverage of this week's Democratic convention will see signs for media outlets like CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS, but not Al Jazeera as the Arab satellite channel has been asked to remove its banner near the podium.
The TV channel had erected a colourful 30,000 dollars banner at the convention venue that would have been seen by millions of television viewers as part of the backdrop. But it was ordered to remove the sign by convention organizers, who said the decision was made for aesthetic reasons. In its place is now a 65-metre-long "JohnKerry.com" banner.
"We've taken down other signs, like Comcast's," convention spokeswoman Peggy Wilhide said, noting that of 33 organizations that have skyboxes, only 40 percent have signs displayed.
Al Jazeera, which has 16 staff covering the event, has been accused of peddling propaganda by the Bush administration. The station's offices in Baghdad were bombed by the US military during the war in Iraq, killing one journalist. Al Jazeera has also found it hard at times to work in the United States. The New York Stock Exchange banned its reporters from the stock exchange floor. -Reuters
