Major television stations around the world have refused to stop broadcasting statements from Osama bin Laden despite calls by the US to exercise caution because they might contain coded messages.
Most stressed they had not been asked to show restraint by their governments but said they would use their editorial judgment if more material from the Saudi-born militant became available.
Bin Laden's broadcasts, which have included video of him at a guerrilla training camp, have been channelled through the Arab satellite news station Al Jazeera based in the Gulf state of Qatar.
The US administration urged American television networks to curb broadcasts of bin Laden's statements, saying he might be trying to tell his followers to launch new attacks.
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News chiefs from ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC television networks pledged to vet incoming feeds and not broadcast them live.
In Australia, media mogul Mr Rupert Murdoch said his networks would not broadcast bin Laden video if it contained coded messages.
"We'll do whatever is our patriotic duty," said Australian-born Mr Murdoch, now a US citizen.
His family interests control News Corp, whose holdings include the Fox News channel, Fox Television, Twentieth Century Fox, television stations and a stable of newspapers.
In London, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair said the issue of what to broadcast was a matter for the broadcasters.
A spokeswoman at Independent Television News said: "We will take each item on its merits."
The BBC said it had not received requests about the material.
Reuters, which distributes video footage to about 350 broadcasters worldwide, said it would treat the material on its merits.
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"If we were offered any bin Laden video, we would exercise our normal editorial judgment on whether it was newsworthy before passing it on to our broadcast customers, who of course have the final decision on whether to put it out or not," said Mr Rodney Pinder, editor of Reuters Video News.
At Japanese national broadcaster NHK a spokesman said it only used brief clips.
France's TF1 decided this week to stop live broadcasts or re-broadcasting of bin Laden statements because they could contain coded messages.
Dutch NOS television said it had not broadcast full speeches by bin Laden, but would show newsworthy segments. "We are not convinced there are secret messages in the speeches, but we are looking very closely at the them," said Mr Hans Laroes, a senior editor.
All but one Italian news broadcaster have decided not to ban bin Laden video statements. Only TG4, a centre-right news broadcaster, has said it will no longer air old or future bin Laden material.
Russia's state television RTR said there had been no official request to stop showing bin Laden video but it was unlikely that they would show his latest broadcast again since it was no longer newsworthy.