As Iraq Inspections Are to Begin, Access for Reporters Is an Issue
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BAGHDAD — As international arms inspectors prepare to fan out over Iraq today, U.N. and Iraqi officials are at odds over letting reporters tag along.
The U.N. team is reluctant to have journalists reporting what the inspectors have or have not found because that may not be clear to the professionals themselves without data analysis.
“We don’t want journalists to be with us in the facilities,” said Melissa Fleming of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
But Iraq, which has highly restrictive press policies, is championing free media access, at least as far as inspections are concerned, to prove it is weapons-free. “From our point of view, the press will be granted full access to every single site,” an Iraqi official said.
Senior inspector Dimitriou Perricos said Tuesday that journalists could accompany the teams to sites but must stay outside.
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