BBC OKs armed guards for journalists

By Bruce Stanley
The Associated Press

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The shift in policy was announced after an attack by gunmen on a BBC television crew Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An Irish cameraman, Simon Cumbers, 36, was killed in the shooting, and a British reporter, Frank Gardner, 42, was critically injured.

A BBC spokeswoman denied that the new policy had arisen as a result of the attack.

Until now, the BBC has employed guards only to protect its facilities. In some dangerous locations, BBC news teams have traveled under the protection of local armed militias but have never hired local gunmen as escorts, the spokeswoman said.

The U.S.-based CNN network has long had armed security with its personnel in dangerous parts of the world. In two instances in Iraq, CNN security guards have been involved in shootouts, spokeswoman Christa Robinson said.

NBC has armed guards at hotels where its employees are staying in Baghdad, and in certain cases, armed security travels with reporters, spokeswoman Allison Gollust said.

The change in the BBC's policy seemed likely to add to a debate about whether journalists themselves should carry weapons for protection in hostile situations.

The BBC already employs unarmed Western security advisers for its news crews in places such as Iraq. Under its new policy, these advisers could carry concealed weapons, or local armed guards could be hired.

The BBC will decide whether to use armed guards on a case-by-case basis.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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