Iraqi stringers have been doing most of the dirty, dangerous work for the Western media, and more and more of them are being accused of being collaborators with the insurgents.

An excerpt from the NYT piece:

Of course, as closely as Western reporters work with their Iraqi colleagues, the grim statistics reveal that many more of the real threats are borne by the Iraqis. They often work alone, as stringers do the world over, and sometimes in places so dangerous that Western reporters cannot go there without a military escort.

Much has been made of how dependent Western news organizations are on the network of stringers in Iraq. Their importance in bringing full and accurate reports to the outside world is unquestioned, but the basic process of gathering the news is not entirely different from anywhere else. At their best, the Iraqi stringers function like new reporters or clerks learning the trade. Their work is crosschecked in every way possible; stringers who absorb Western standards on sourcing and accuracy remain on the job and those who don't are invited to move on.

The difference is that most Iraqi stringers must invent layer upon layer of cover stories about where they work and often use pseudonyms - as Mr. Haider, who worked with The Times since the invasion, often did. The job pays well by Iraqi standards, but I believe there are other reasons that stringers brave the risks. For most citizens, the terror under Mr. Hussein was episodic, but the boredom was constant. Some, like our stringers, have had enough of choosing between toeing some party line and keeping quiet. They are enterprising and intrepid, people who thirst for an interesting job and a stimulating life.