Washington: Former prisoner-of-war Jessica Lynch is in a military hospital recuperating from serious limb and back injuries. The Army-private remembers nothing of her rescue in the Iraq war and probably never will, say her doctors.

But the media is not one to give up easily. It is going great lengths to win the exclusive story of Lynch, thus sparking a fierce debate in America where "chequebook journalism" (paying for a story) is frowned upon.

Following her arrival at Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in April after her rescue from an Iraqi hospital, National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) network news anchor Katie Couric sent her a stack of patriotic books, while Diane Sawyer of American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television news sent a locket with a photo of Lynch's family home in Palestine, West Virginia.

But CBS television network takes the cake. The deal includes a tele-movie and a two-hour documentary, "Saving Private Lynch", with promotional interviews on the network's major news and current affairs programmes, says a report in 'The Courier Mail'. However they vehemently denied that the package amounted to buying Lynch's story as media critics lined up to condemn the offer.

According to the report, Lynch was also offered a hosting role on youth music channel MTV in which she and her friends would play requests, a book deal with Simon and Schuster, a country music special in Palestine and a pop concert there.

ANI