PARIS, April 14: Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), the Paris-based international journalists’ rights organisation, on Monday issued a sharp criticism of the CNN.

CNN, says RSF, “set a dangerous precedent” when the security escort of its news crew returned fire when the crew, travelling in several vehicles, came under fire yesterday at the entrance to Tikrit.

“The use of firearms,” warned RSF, “is a practice contrary to all the rules of the profession.” “So is the use of private security firms to protect crews.”

“Such a practice,” cautioned RSF secretary-general Robert Menard, “sets a dangerous precedent that could jeopardize all other journalists covering this war as well as others in the future. There is a real risk that combatants will henceforth assume that all press vehicles are armed,” he warned.

“Journalists can and must try to protect themselves by such methods as travelling in bulletproof vehicles and wearing bulletproof vests, but employing private security firms that do not hesitate to use their firearms just increases the confusion between reporters and combatants,” Mr Menard added.