The Mirror, which is facing a falling circulation in response to its fierce stance against the invasion of Iraq, splashes Arnett's appointment on its front page today. It says: "Fired by America for telling the truth. Hired by the Daily Mirror to carry on telling it."
Arnett, who was formally working for NBC's sister network MSNBC, gave what he described as a 15-minute, impromptu interview on Iraqi television. In it, he said: "America is reappraising the battlefield, delaying the war. The first war plan has failed because of Iraqi resistance."
His opinions caused outrage in the US, with NBC News president Neal Shapiro describing it as "a serious error in judgement and wrong"; while MSNBC president Erick Sorenson said the interview was "arguably unpatriotic".
Appearing on 'NBC Today', Arnett said that what he told Iraqi TV was "what we all know about the war". However, he added that he had "created a firestorm in the US and for that I am truly sorry". He added his "stupid misjudgement was to spend 15 minutes in an impromtu interview".
In his first piece for the Mirror, Arnett writes: "Overnight, my successful NBC reporting career was turned to ashes. And why? Because I stated the obvious to Iraqi television; that the US war timetable has fallen by the wayside.
"I have made those comments to television stations around the world and now I'm making them again in the Daily Mirror. I'm not angry. I'm not crying. But I'm also awed by this media phenomenon."
Arnett helped make the reputation of CNN in the first Gulf War when he reported live coalition forces began their attack on Baghdad following Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Reports have suggested that the Daily Mirror's anti-war stance is out of step with its readership, and could have led to its circulation dropping below 2m, leading to pressure on editor Piers Morgan to go, but the Mirror has carried on strident and regardless.
Another high-profile US war reporter is also in hot water over his coverage of the war. Geraldo Rivera, who is famous in the US as the former host of a long-running talkshow, has been ordered home by the Pentagon after sending a report back from Iraq where he sketched a map in the sand showing the positions of US soldiers.
Rivera was reporting for the Fox News network, which has agreed to withdraw him from Iraq. During the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Rivera was also in the news after it was revealed that he was carrying a gun.
New Zealand-born Arnett is also no stranger to controversy, having been let go by CNN four years ago after a documentary called "Operation Tailwind", which claimed that nerve gas had been used by US commandos on defectors during the Vietnam War. It was for his coverage on the conflict in South-East Asia that Arnett won his Pulitzer Prize in 1966.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .
.jpg)
.jpg)