Fewer reporters in Iraq

The Press Gazette rounds up just how many British media organisations remain in Iraq. There are less British news outlets there than at anytime since the beginning of the American led invasion. The article details the number of people each bureau holds to mark the 5th anniversary since the most dangerous war ever for journalists began,

Other than Reuters, The Times and the BBC are the only UK news organisations to have maintained a continuous presence in Iraq since 2003. The Guardian, Independent, Telegraph, and ITN have all pulled back from having permanent coverage there. Despite the lack of full-time staffs in Iraq, [Former Reuters bureau chief Alastair] McDonald said he believed there was a reluctance among UK broadcasters to use agency footage if their own correspondents were not on the ground. “It is a shame that that agency material is not being more widely used…Whereas if you are a newspaper which relies on copy, you don’t need your own presenters with [recognisable] faces, but for a broadcaster it’s much harder. link