Head of BBC Critical of Clear Channel

In case you missed it in your roundup of news from abroad: Clear Channel was among the U.S. broadcast organizations targeted for criticism by BBC Director General Greg Dyke for their news coverage of the Iraq war, according to Reuters. Dyke also criticized Fox News.
“Personally, I was shocked while in the United States by how unquestioning the broadcast news media was during this war,” he was quoted as saying in a speech. “If Iraq proved anything, it was that the BBC cannot afford to mix patriotism and journalism. This is happening in the United States and if it continues, will undermine the credibility of the U.S. electronic news media.”
“We are genuinely shocked when we discover that the largest radio group in the United States was using its airwaves to organize pro-war rallies. We are even more shocked to discover that the same group wants to become a big player in radio in the United Kingdom when it is deregulated later this year,” Dyke said.
Reuters quoted Clear Channel officials as saying any pro-war rallies were organized by individuals or stations, not as the result of overall company policy. John Hogan, radio president and CEO, told Reuters: “to categorize this as a Clear Channel policy is just laughable.” Further, “The company is not currently in talks with anyone to purchase U.K. radio assets,” it said in a statement.