] In this last instalment of the reporters' log they record
] some final impressions and look back at what it was like
] reporting the war.

Today's the last day of the BBC's "Reporters' Log", which saddens me. I enjoyed reading the raw data stream as it came in each day. I also liked getting to know the names of the various reporters, so that I could filter their various biases as I was reading: "Oh, that's so-and-so, he's been stuck in one location for the last 3 days, and is getting fed up reporting that nothing new is happening in his location." "Oh, that's whatshisname, he's really negative and tends to report the most anti-US spin that he can." "Oh, there's that guy, he generally sticks to the facts, what's he got to say today?"

Several (but not all) of the reporters got to post a wrap-up comment for today's final log. Their opinions are across the spectrum, though most seem to express some frustration that they only saw a very small part of the conflict. Some felt that they were barred from the real story by the embedding process, others felt that it really did give them unprecedented access (and danger). My overwhelming sense from reading all of their reports though, is that they feel a kind of disappointment now that the main fighting is over. Which I guess is to be expected.

Interesting reading, nonetheless, and I'm glad that the BBC provided the log!

BBC NEWS: Reporters' log: Final thoughts