New Orleans media ban overturned

The US authorities have overturned a ban on journalists following the rescue efforts in New Orleans after a legal challenge from CNN.

But they are refusing to allow photographers to accompany boat and helicopter rescue missions aimed at recovering bodies from flooded homes.

CNN issued legal proceedings against the Federal Emergency Management Agency after officials said there would be "zero access" to the recovery operation.

The district court judge, Keith Ellison, issued a temporary restraining order on Friday against the so-called "zero access" policy.

But CNN agreed to put the challenge on hold after the authorities said their intention had not been to bar media organisations altogether, but to refuse them any assistance with reporting the clean-up operation.

The Associated Press, owned by the US press, has already offered pictures of victims to its members on Saturday. None of them showed victims' faces.

One showed a dead body in a wheelchair, wrapped in blankets and resting near a wall, and is one of most-remembered images of the tragedy.

"Photographs of flood victims' bodies is part of the overall coverage of Hurricane Katrina," said Cliff Schiappa, AP's regional photo editor for the Midwest.

"When choosing an appropriate image, we do not want to be gratuitous, but rather put the image in context of the flood and suffering. The government is very concerned about the recovery efforts being done in a dignified manner, as it should be done. As members of the media, it's our job to show the world that such an effort is being made and carried out."

Some opponents to the Bush administration have expressed concern that any media restrictions were politically motivated.

They have likened it to restrictions against taking pictures of bodies returning from the war in Iraq.

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