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Reuters stringer who worked for president won't cover Yemen again

Thursday 17 November 2011

Reuters defended the work of long-time Yemen stringer Mohamed Sudam on Thursday amid outrage from opposition activists over his employment by the government as a personal translator to President Ali Abdullah Saleh but said he would no longer work for Reuters from Yemen, though he would probably still provide reports from elsewhere in the Middle East.

“Sudam’s work as a Reuters stringer over the course of many years has been fair and accurate,” the company said in a statement. “When he became a translator for the president, he disclosed his role to Reuters.”

“On reviewing the matter, however, we believe it’s not appropriate to use a stringer who is also working for the government.”

Sudam was briefly detained last month by opposition forces because of his connection to the government. His employment by the president began several years ago.

A Facebook page and Twitter hashtag created under the name “Shame on Reuters” voiced anger at Reuters over Sudam’s dual role. ■

SOURCE
The New York Times