Arnett Canned

Peter Arnett, correspondent in the prequel to the present conflict and one of the few U.S. Tee Vee reporters in Baghdad, has been canned by NBC. Arnett is famous for putting his foot in his mouth. His offense this time:

"It was wrong for Mr. Arnett to grant an interview to state-controlled Iraqi TV, especially at a time of war," NBC spokeswoman Allison Gollust said. "And it was wrong for him to discuss his personal observations and opinions in that interview."

NBC says "state-controlled" like it's a bad thing -- but U.S. outlets have been serving the state's interests for a long time, without any formal "control" necessary. With regard to the present unpleasantness, check out fair and balanced Fox News.