Reporters on the Job

• An explosive interview: When staff writer Ilene Prusher went to meet Raed Abu Faddak - along with an assistant and a Norwegian journalist - she got the sense that he had gone out of his way to get geared up. "Beside wearing fatigues, a flak jacket, and a ski mask (once we took out our cameras), he had grenades and switches (for explosive devices) on the coffee table," she says.

"The grenades sat on the table like paperweights, and my colleague stated that they made him a little uncomfortable. Later, Abu Faddak placed his Kalashnikov across his lap, pointing at my side. My colleague asked him to adjust it, and Abu Faddak did. I then suggested he check the safety locks."

Ilene says that there was something darkly humorous about the exchange. "He was younger than us and suddenly, it was ias if we were giving him orders."

• You want information? Staff writer Robert Marquand went to Yahoo's yellow-and-purple-accented offices in Hong Kong for Today's story. "On the way, I called and asked to speak to the spokeswoman," Bob says. "I was told that no one was allowed in without an invitation. I called back and asked again to speak to the spokeswoman, who got on the phone and read me a statement. I went to the office and asked for public information about the business. I waited in a huge purple chair for a half-hour. The spokeswoman then came out and handed me a website address, saying I could refer to that. She was very nice, but the freedom that characterizes Yahoo's appeal was distinctly not evident."

Amelia Newcomb
Deputy world editor