The New York Times looks at the dependence of Western news organizations on freelancers in Iraq. The focus is the case of photographer Bilal Hussein,who had a hand in The Associated Press’s 2005 Pulitzer Prize he was jailed by the U.S. military. The military alleges he was a security threat — “fingered by “sources” as having “possessed foreknowledge of an improvised explosive
device (I.E.D.) attack” and “that he conspired with the I.E.D. triggerman to synchronize
his photograph with the explosion.” The Associated Press staunchly defends him.   Hussein has not been formally charged with a crime, but was held by the Americans for 20 months before being turned over to an Iraq judge.

There ought to be a parable about journalism and justice in Iraq.