Christopher Dickey writes a lot of stories for MSNBC.com/Newsweek.com on Iraq.
 I'm troubled by the inset picture they use for him, depicting him in
what appears to be a flak jacket, juxtaposed against the Baghdad
skyline.
 Why am I trouble by this image?  Because I don't think the guy is in
Baghdad.  Journalists, Marines, soldiers and contractors are all
risking their lives in Iraq every day, and it bothers me that he's
*possibly* using a subtle image to imply he's really there.
 I called the Newsweek news desk and I couldn't get past the operator to find out.
 I wrote once to Dickey himself - no reply. 
 I wrote again to Dickey and the editors, but I'm anxious to find out the 
answer to this question.
 Why am I so anxious?  Because I'm tired of his negative slant, and
also upset that someone may be pretending to be in a war zone when
they're not.  That sort of disingenuous imagery is not proper for any
news organization.

Hello pcventures - 

Christopher Dickey travels within the Middle East and Europe, and is
sometimes in Baghdad. He is Middle East Regional Editor for Newsweek,
while their Baghdad Bureau Chief is Rod Nordland. Dickey is also
Newsweek Bureau Chief in Paris, where he and his wife have their home.

The information below is ordered by date. I have tried to exclude
anything which does not make a clear statement about location, even
when that meant cutting out pieces with a strong suggestion of place:
for example, scene-setting descriptions of France or Baghdad.


"A couple of times in the last week I?ve searched through the ?305
Guest House.? The West Germans built the mansion and the luxury bunker
beneath it for Saddam Hussein in 1984."
June 2003
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3068233/

Dickey reports from France
June 27 2003
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3068227/

"In Baghdad today, Ahmed Kamel Mohammed, the deputy director of the
museum, walked us through the list of the missing masterpieces."
July 31, 2003
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3069189/

" . . . here in Iraq, where I am now"
August 2003
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3068208/

Dickey in Kansas
Nov 2003
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3540605/

"But I'm sure that when I go back to Baghdad in a few weeks I, for
one, won't be carrying a gun. Nor do I expect I'll be going most
places with armed bodyguards.  I'm one of those old-timers who
believes, after 25 years covering wars here and there, that judgment,
wit and luck usually are the best protection. Most reporting,
especially in war zones, depends on empathy, whether with soldiers or
civilians, victors or victims. And nothing works against empathy more
than a gun."
Jan.09, 2004
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3919623/

"Christopher Dickey is a correspondent for Newsweek magazine based in
Paris. He returns to Iraq in ten days time."
January 16, 2004
http://www.wnyc.org/onthemedia/transcripts/transcripts_011604_gun.html

"Join Christopher Dickey--live from Davos, Switzerland--on Thursday
Jan. 22 at noon ET to discuss how world leaders feel about Iraq and
the Mideast . . "
Jan 2004
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3982277/site/newsweek/

Dickey describes "threading" his way through Baghdad streets "this morning".
Feb 6, 2004
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4191765/

"Christopher Dickey in London"
March 17, 2004
http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/bulletin/eddesk.nsf/All/2D54C5770AD98E77CA256E57007D2E8E

"Christopher Dickey: Hello. I'm travelling right now in Casablanca,
investigating recent terrorist attacks here and in Europe, but the
central focus of my reporting for the last two years has been Iraq,
the war and the occupation."
March 19, 2004
http://www.inreview.com/archive/topic/20685.html

"Christopher Dickey of Newsweek talked to Terry Gross on WHYY from Amman, Jordan" 
March 2003
http://webpages.ursinus.edu/rrichter/wardiar3.htm

"Christopher Dickey in Amman, Jordan"
April 21, 2004
http://www.msnbc.com/news/898878.asp

"In Brussels, [Prodi] spoke with NEWSWEEK's Christopher Dickey"
May 31, 2004
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5039837/site/newsweek/

Describing a recent experience at CDG airport in Paris
June 17, 2004
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5235242/site/newsweek/

"The Paris Bureau of NEWSWEEK is moving, and we?ve been cleaning out
our files. I?m surrounded by boxes of books, discarded papers, carbon
copies of ancient memos."
June 22, 2004
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5326366/site/newsweek

     ====================================================================


There are certainly some articles which were not written in Baghdad
but do carry the picture you describe, although Dickey could argue
that in his writing he is often frank about being elsewhere.

Sometimes he credits colleagues with additional reporting. For
example, an article he wrote in July 2003 says "With Scott Johnson,
Rod Nordland and Colin Soloway in Baghdad, Michael Hirsh and Richard
Wolffe in Washington and Tamara Lipper traveling with the president."
http://foi.missouri.edu/terrorintelligence/1billion.html

Of his more recent articles with *that picture*, this is how I
interpret his location:

May 20 - Amman
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5023621/site/newsweek/

June 1 - unclear, possibly France
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5112742/site/newsweek/

June 9 - no clues about location
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5173640/site/newsweek/

June 17 - Paris
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5235242/site/newsweek/

June 22 - Paris
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5270760/site/newsweek/

June 29 - Paris
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3672154/

Of course, this is just a snapshot of a few weeks in May and June.

I hope this helps,  but please let me know if I can clarify anything.


Best Wishes - Leli



Searches

Christopher Dickey 2004 Iraq 
Christopher Dickey 2004 Paris Iraq
Christopher Dickey 2004 Cairo OR Amman
Christopher Dickey 2004 "in Paris OR Baghdad"
"Christopher Dickey in" 2004
"from Christopher Dickey" 2004
Christopher Dickey 2004 "live OR reporting from"
Christopher Dickey Feb OR March OR April OR May 2004
"Christopher Dickey" "Rod Nordland" Baghdad
://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Christopher+Dickey+%22+%22Rod+Nordland%22+Baghdad&btnG=Search&meta=

Browsing articles listed here:
http://csdickey.tripod.com/

Phenomenal Answer - YOU should work for Newsweek.

Many thanks for the appreciation, pcventures!

Leli

Leli-ga did a superb job, and gives a solid picture of my itinerary
for the last several months.
   At the moment, I'm back in Baghdad. But the photograph was not
taken here, it was taken in Amman, Jordan, on the eve of the war last
year, when I started the column. If you look at other Newsweek Web
columns, you'll see they carry studio shots of people based in New
York, Boston or Washington. Since I was overseas, I took a picture of
me where I was (and if I look a little too serious it's because I was
holding the digital camera at arm's length and trying to push the
right button). That's not a flak jacket, it's a Barbour coat, which
repels water, but nothing else.
   Since I've been covering the Middle East for about 20 years, it
doesn't strike me as extraordinary to have a portrait from an Arab
city. And as Leli-ga points out, most of the time my columns tell you
very precisely where I am when I write them.
   Again, thanks Leli, for such superb research. Anyone who wants to
know more is welcome to visit www.christopherdickey.com, where they'll
discover that my life is, quite literally, an open book.
   Best regards, Christopher Dickey, Newsweek Magazine

Dear CD shadowland-ga

Great to hear from you, and get the full story of how you took your own photograph!

Many thanks for contributing to the discussion.

Leli