Viewers furious as C4’s Jon Snow thanks God for Drudge

Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow was embroiled in a massive row today after praising an American website for revealing Prince Harry's deployment in Afghanistan.

Mr Snow's comments sparked a flurry of criticism from viewers who contacted Channel 4, vowing never to watch its news bulletins again.

The media and the Ministry of Defence had agreed a voluntary news blackout, promising not to report on Prince Harry's presence in Helmand province for fear of increasing the risk to his life and the soldiers serving with him.

The blackout had largely held — bar an unnoticed report in an Australian magazine in January — until the American website the Drudge Report broke the story yesterday afternoon, prompting the Ministry of Defence to make an official confirmation.

The Drudge Report, a largely Right-wing political gossip website, first rose to prominence by revealing Bill Clinton was having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Mr Snow yesterday praised the Drudge Report for ending the "British media's conspiracy of silence". In his regular and popular email sent out to subscribers, Mr Snow declared: "I never thought I'd find myself saying thank God for Drudge.

"Editors have been sworn to secrecy over Prince Harry being sent to fight in Afghanistan Drudge has blown their cover. One wonders whether viewers, readers and listeners will ever want to trust the media again?"

Viewers were, however, angered by Mr Snow's questioning of the media blackout, a suggestion repeated on Channel 4 News last night. Sue Smith, from Coventry, emailed to complain: "Tonight's show talking about a conspiracy of silence' and the email from Jon is so far beyond the pale I will never watch Channel 4 News again.

"By these standards you would have been notifying Hitler of all our secrets. Shameful. Utterly utterly shameful."

Another stated: "Jon Snow in one absolutely idiotic, thoughtless stupid statement has just lost Channel 4 News one viewer." And Caroline McNicholas declared in an email: "Jon Snow's petulant reporting of Prince Harry's deployment to Afghanistan was television at its worst."

Other emails accused Mr Snow of "treason" and this outraged response in turn prompted fans of Mr Snow to issue a flurry of emails in defence of his comments.

The media row continued to rumble on today with Bethnal Green and Bow MP George Galloway highly critical of the blackout. "I pay for the BBC and I don't like the idea that the British media should be part of the war effort," he said on BBC1's Question Time.

The Respect MP also damned the prince for comments made while fighting on the frontline.
Mr Galloway said: "Prince Harry was saying on TV that he was engaging the enemy. I don't know about you, but I have no enemies in Afghanistan The Taliban are not the enemy for me."

While the Drudge Report was showing no signs of regret for its "world exclusive", the Australian weekly women's magazine New Idea, which actually broke the story in January, apologised for doing so, insisting it was not aware of an embargo.

Today, a spokesman for the magazine said: "New Idea was not issued with a press embargo and was unaware of the existence of one.

"The story was published on Monday 7 January. Since then New Idea has received no comment from the British Ministry of Defence.

"We take these matters very seriously and would never knowingly break an embargo."

The magazine added: "We regret any issues the revelation of this story in America has caused today."