White House: CBS erred showing Pearl video

Pearl, 38, was confirmed dead by the State Deptartment on February 21.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House Wednesday expressed disappointment in CBS' decision to air portions of a videotape made by the captors of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, and said the Bush administration had urged the network not to show any of it.

"The State Department spoke with CBS about that matter and expressed concerns about that being shown," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

"I know that Mrs. Pearl has very strong feelings about the damage that can be done as a result of showing that video," said Fleischer. "The administration has great sympathies for what Mrs. Pearl has said."

Does that mean the White House believes CBS shouldn't have shown it?

"Yes," Fleischer said. "As I indicated, the State Department made a phone call to express our opinions."

The Daniel Pearl Foundation was formed to "further the ideals that inspired Daniel's life and work." Donations can be sent to: The Daniel Pearl Foundation c/o Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher 2029 Century Park East Suite 4000 Los Angeles, CA 90067 U.S.A. On the Web: http://danielpearl.org  CNN NewsPass Video    •  Four found guilty in Pearl killing   MORE STORIES   •  Pearl family welcomes verdict   •  UK urges leniency for Pearl killer   •  Tom Mintier: Backlash a fear in Pearl verdicts   •  TIME.com: A casualty of the war on terror  EXTRA INFORMATION   •  Messages of sorrow, shock after Pearl's killing  RESOURCES   •  Obituary: Daniel Pearl   •  Timeline: Key dates in the Pearl kidnapping   •  Gallery: The life of Daniel Pearl

Pearl, 38, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped in January by Muslim extremists in Pakistan and was confirmed dead by the State Department on February 21 after authorities obtained the video, in which Pearl was forced to make propaganda statements and then was killed.

CBS Tuesday night aired a brief portion of the video in which Pearl talked about his Jewish heritage, saying, "My father's Jewish. My mother's Jewish. I'm Jewish."

CBS, which was careful not to air the actual killing of Pearl, said it decided to broadcast a portion of the videotape after it began appearing on extremists' Web sites as a piece of propaganda to recruit new terrorists.

In a statement on the CBS Web site, anchor Dan Rather defended the network's decision, saying the "video illustrates how far an enemy will go to spread its message of hate for the United States." Rather delivered the same message to his television audience.

Pearl's widow, Mariane, his parents and sisters harshly criticized CBS in a statement released through the Daniel Pearl Foundation, saying the network aided the "terrorists in spreading their message of hate and murder."

"Terrorists have made this video confident that the American media would broadcast it and thereby serve their exact purpose. By showing this video, CBS or any other broadcaster willing to show it proves that they fall without shame into the terrorists' plan.

"While Dan Rather attempts to rationalize the network's heartless decision to air this despicable 'terrorist propaganda video,' it is beyond our comprehension that any mother, wife, father or sister should have to relive this horrific tragedy and watch their loved one being repeatedly terrorized," the family said.

The family urged all networks to "exercise responsibility" and not air any of the tape.

"Danny believed that journalism was a tool to report the truth and foster understanding, not perpetuate propaganda and sensationalize tragedy," the family said.

CNN has described much of what was on the tape in a previous report by Correspondent Connie Chung, but has never aired any of it.