WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration has told television network executives that Osama bin Laden and his associates may be using videotaped messages to secretly communicate with each other, and asked the networks to "exercise judgment" in broadcasting the messages.
Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, called the networks on Wednesday to raise administration concerns about the broadcast of messages "that could be a signal to terrorists to incite attacks," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. She asked the executives to "exercise judgment" about broadcasting them, but did not order the networks not to, Fleischer said.
Fleischer said he had no "hard indications" that such communication was embedded in the videotaped messages that have been aired by networks in recent days. But, he said, the means of communications from Afghanistan to the outside world are limited. "One way to communicate outside Afghanistan to followers is through Western media," he said.
"At best, Osama bin Laden's messages are propaganda calling on people to kill Americans. At worst, he could be issuing orders to his followers to initiate such attacks," Fleischer said.
Fleischer said he knew of no similar calls to news executives outside the United States, or to newspapers or other media in this country.
Secretary of State Colin Powell cautioned that the statements made by bin Laden's terrorist organization and broadcast on televisions around the world may contain "some kind of message."
Powell said analysts were looking at the statements, including the one made Tuesday by al-Qaida spokesman Abu Ghaith praising the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States and warning there would be more.
The secretary of state, appearing on CNN, also thanked the network for limiting its broadcast of the statements.
"I think it's responsible on the part of CNN to shade that a little bit so that we don't have it coming full force at us and with the potential of perhaps conveying some kind of message," he said.
CNN said it would not air statements from Al-Qaida live and will review them first before deciding how to handle them.
"CNN's policy is to avoid airing any material that we believe would directly facilitate any terrorist acts," the network said. "In deciding what to air, CNN will consider guidance from appropriate authorities."
Network news division heads, talking amongst themselves after speaking to Rice, agreed that in the future, they will review statements before airing them in their entirety, said a network executive who requested anonymity.
On Tuesday, CNN aired Abu Ghaith's statement in its entirety as soon as it was made available, as did MSNBC. Fox News Channel began airing the statement but then cut it off, and later aired excerpts.
