March 28, 2003

As Newsday awaited word from its two journalists missing from Baghdad, the newspaper yesterday sought help from foreign governments, humanitarian agencies and others in securing information about the whereabouts of Matthew McAllester and Moises Saman, last seen early Tuesday morning in their hotel room.

"We went to everyone conceivable to try to get the facts," said Newsday editor Anthony Marro. "We felt the more questions that could be asked from more directions, the better. We're optimistic someone will contact us to say ... [McAllester and Saman] are in Baghdad and working with officials to try to stay there, or that they are in Jordan or Syria," Marro said.

Newsday last heard from McAllester, a staff correspondent, and Saman, a staff photographer, Monday afternoon when McAllester sent an e-mail message about material for the next day's editions. McAllester gave no indication of any problems.

Marro said yesterday that American journalists in Baghdad have told Newsday that McAllester and Saman were among a small group of Western journalists who were rounded up by Iraqi officials on Tuesday morning and apparently ordered to leave the country in a dispute over visas.

Photographer Marco Deloro may have been the last person to see the Newsday journalists. Deloro told other journalists in Baghdad that he went to the room that McAllester and Saman shared at the Palestine Hotel about midnight Monday. They didn't appear to be preparing to leave. By Tuesday morning, there was no trace of either man at the hotel. "They were gone, the rooms cleaned," one of the journalists said in an e-mail.

Marro said Newsday had asked for help from Iraq's Mission to the United States and was continuing to try to reach the Ministry of Information. Other countries that still have diplomatic ties to Iraq also have been contacted, along with international relief organizations.

The number of journalists ordered to leave Iraq is believed to be between four and 10. It may include freelance photographer Molly Bingham, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Her parents reportedly last heard from her Saturday.

Joel Simon, the committee's acting director said, "I would like to hear from them ... some times spreading the word leads someone to call."

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