In any war, there is a concealment of certain kinds of setbacks because it's propaganda for the enemy.

Up until about 12 years ago we never, ever, wore flak jacket or helmets but now the nastiness has got worse.

But in the first Gulf war the United Kingdom was not under any threat from Iraq, and is still less so in the second one. Then there is no justification for obstructing freedom of information, particularly as nations have a right to know what their soldiers are being used for.

The better the information it has, the better democracy works. Silence and secrecy are never good for it.

I keep telling myself to calm down, to take less of an interest in things and not to get so excited, but I still care a lot about liberty, freedom of speech and expression, and fairness in journalism.

War zones are dangerous, protests can be violent, also, natural disasters are difficult to cover, so there are going to be risks.

I've never been one to sit around and eat my heart out. Life's too short.