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<p>May 3, 2003 -- BRUSSELS, Belgium - CNN took some flak from fellow journalists yesterday for having armed security guards protect a correspondent heading into Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit last month.</p> <p>The controversy erupted when CNN International's President Chris Cramer - speaking at the launch of an organization to promote journalists' safety - said the media sometimes needed armed protection.</p>

<p>CNN has taken much abuse of late for its account of its relationship with Iraq, including on these pages. One thing no one questions, however, is the courage of its reporters on the ground in Iraq. Which makes the recent episode involving CNN reporter Brent Sadler worth debating.</p>

CNN came under attack Sunday on two fronts. An admission by CNN's chief news executive that he kept quiet for years about government atrocities in Iraq (news - web sites) -- including those against his own journalists -- raised questions about whether CNN committed an ethical transgression: trading silence for access. And a French media watchdog group says CNN is setting a ''dangerous precedent'' by having a team in Iraq traveling with an armed guard. Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) made the comments after an incident in the northern Iraqi town of Tikrit in which a security guard with CNN's Brent...

Two in CNN Crew Hurt in Iraqi Gunfight By DAVID BAUDER .c The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) - Gunfire erupted between Iraqi forces and a guard hired to protect a CNN crew, a development that made one media commentator worry about the risks of having journalists protected by armed escorts. Correspondent Brent Sadler was driving through Tikrit, one of the last strongholds of Saddam Hussein loyalists, in a seven-vehicle CNN convoy Sunday when they decided to leave because they could feel ``hostility rising,'' he said. They were fired upon with automatic weapons while just outside of Tikrit, he said....

CNN has denied that it set a "dangerous precedent" by hiring an armed guard to accompany one of its teams in Iraq, following criticism over an incident in which a CNN convoy returned fire. When reporter Brent Sadler and his crew came under fire from an Iraqi-manned checkpoint as they attempted to leave Tikrit yesterday, their Kurdish bodyguard returned fire with a machine gun. The decision prompted the international press watchdog, Reporters Sans Frontieres, to lambast the news organisation for placing journalists' safety at risk by creating the impression that they carry arms. However, a CNN spokeswoman said that Sadler's...

Media watchdog says concerned CNN had armed guard PARIS, April 13 (Reuters) - A media watchdog expressed concern on Sunday that a CNN team reporting from Iraq was travelling with an armed guard, saying it set a "dangerous precedent" that could imperil other journalists. Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) made the comments after an incident in the northern Iraqi town of Tikrit in which a security guard hired by CNN fired his machinegun at a checkpoint when the CNN convoy came under gunfire. "This behaviour creates a dangerous precedent that could imperil all other reporters covering this conflict and others in...

U.S. Marines Enter Saddam's Hometown By DAVID CRARY .c The Associated Press U.S. Marines entered Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit on Sunday, signaling the imminent fall of the last major bastion of his loyalists. The U.S. commander of the war said six or seven U.S. troops listed as missing have been found alive and in good condition. Gen. Tommy Franks, who announced the recovery of the missing soldiers, also disclosed that U.S. forces have samples of Saddam's DNA, for potential use in the ongoing effort to determine if he is alive or dead. Franks said released information about the missing...

CNN reporter Brent Sadler traveling on a road very near Tikrit. The retired military officer in the studio keeps telling him to be careful. I find these live shots very nerve-wracking. It seems rather foolish for a reporter to be doing this, considering that Tikrit is a Saddam stronghold. Just a heads-up in case anyone is interested.

<p>TIKRIT, Iraq (CNN) -- The hometown of Saddam Hussein has been "largely untouched" by coalition troops or looting, according to CNN correspondent Brent Sadler, who entered the area Sunday morning.</p> <p>Sadler, one of the few Western journalists to travel to the immediate outskirts of Tikrit, said the town looked abandoned -- with no military movement and only a few civilians on the road. Highway signs bearing the deposed Iraqi leader's image were still intact.</p>

TV Shows Weakened Iraq Defenses in Tikrit By NICOLE WINFIELD .c The Associated Press CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar (AP) - U.S. Marines were operating Sunday near the dusty desert town of Tikrit, a power center for Iraq's Sunni Muslim tribes that is believed to be the one of the last strongholds of fighters loyal to President Saddam Hussein, U.S. Central Command said. A task force from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force was within about 35 miles of the town, approaching from the south, having ``moved north along Highway 1 to Tikrit from Samarra,'' said Lt. Mark Kitchens, a Central Command...