ABC News on Friday defended its decision to include paid interviews from a British TV documentary mixed with its own original reporting in a prime-time special about Michael Jackson and his relationships with young boys. In an unusual disclaimer run twice during Thursday's two-hour special, ABC said its programme contained "excerpts from a documentary made by a British production company" and that "some of the individuals who appeared in that documentary received compensation for their participation."

The disclaimer added: "No payment was made for any of the interviews conducted by (ABC News correspondent) Martin Bashir or ABC News."

ABC-produced segments were interspersed with the British footage throughout the special and the programme did not specify which interviews had been paid for and which had not.

But ABC, a unit of the Walt Disney Co, dismissed suggestions that viewers might be confused. The network said its own segments were distinguished from the British material using on-screen graphics.

"It was made quite clear what came from the British documentary and what came from original ABC News reporting," ABC News executive vice president Jeffrey Schneider told.

Copyright Reuters, 2005