If you are not American, the story related by CBS Marketwatch is not easy to understand: "U.S. journalists face an ethical conundrum this political season: If they attend one of the pro-John Kerry concerts headlined by Bruce Springsteen, are they breaching industry ethics? Springsteen, who has demonstrated his political agenda in many cases through such songs as "Born in the USA" and "My Hometown," has prompted a wide debate in the newspaper industry. This fall, Springsteen is headlining a series of concerts in the swing states to raise money for Kerry and encourage people to vote President George Bush out of office. The nation's editors are divided on the issue, but many say they are discouraging their colleagues from going to the shows... "In at least three cases, memos have been sent to newsroom employees urging them to avoid the concerts or barring them outright from going," Editor & Publisher said... Washington Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. was quoted as saying about the Springsteen-led Oct. 11 concert: "That is consistent with our ethics policy. It says you cannot engage in any political acts except voting."

Source: CBS Marketwatch

Mark Glaser has convened a virtual round table dedicated in particular to U.S. military bloggers, also called milibloggers: "If the war in Iraq has brought one good thing to the often muddled media landscape, it has been the growing prominence of on-the-scene bloggers, whether they're U.S. Army soldiers on the ground or Iraqi citizens caught in a war zone."

Source: Glaser online - OJR

Pakistani security forces killed an Al-Qaeda kingpin allegedly behind an assassination attempt on President Pervez Musharraf and indicted in the murder of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl, a security official said. Amjad Farooqi, Pakistan's most wanted terrorist with a 20 million rupee (330,000 dollars) bounty on his head, was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Nawabshah in southern Sindh province, the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. He was indicted over Pearl's murder but was never tracked down. Farooqi provided the militants who kept Pearl in a shed on Karachi's outskirts after the reporter was abducted on January 23, 2002, a police officer who investigated the case had told AFP. He also recruited the trio of men who slit Pearl's throat as a video-camera filmed and was said to be "very close" to Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the British-born militant convicted of plotting Pearl's abduction and murder.

Source: channelnewsasia.com

England's cricket tour of Zimbabwe due to begin on Friday will be covered by a lot less journalists than expected. "The Zimbabwe government has denied 13 of 36 applications to cover the tour, including those from the Times, Telegraph, Sun, Mirror and their Sunday versions, reports the BBC. "The others, including Daily Express, the Daily Mail , the Independent and the Guardian and agency reporters from Reuters and the Press Association will all be allowed access." "Zimbabwe does not knowingly admit British journalists and this tour was always going to test the regime's commit ment to supporting its cricket union. The BBC has been banned from operating in Zimbabwe for several years, and Mr Mugabe has described the Daily Telegraph as an agent of MI5", reports Paul Kelso from The Guardian.

Source: The Guardian and BBC Sport