Thinking Meat

Peter Arnett, the CNN reporter of Gulf War I fame, has a fascinating insider's look at reporting in Iraq back in 1991, and today. You should read the whole thing, of course, so I'll just point out this fun tidbit. It's courtesy of Odei al Taie, chief of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry's International Press Department:

Satellite phones and video uplinks are required to be located at Mr. al Taie's press center, which never seems to have enough room even though an extensive building program has been going on for years. Cubicles are difficult to come by, and the residency test difficult for some to pass. Mr. al Taie recently informed a chagrined Washington Post reporter, "You want an office here? Not likely, with the editorial policy of your paper the way it is."

I suspect Le Monde and The Guardian each rate a corner office with a secretary.