Reuters dominates again on coverage of Karadzic

Reuters beat all opposition with word of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic’s extradition on July 30 from Serbia to the Hague to face genocide charges. The Reuters alert on his departure, based on a senior Serbian political source, hit the screen at 0403, three minutes ahead of AP at 0406 and four ahead of AFP at 0407. Nationalist supporters of Karadzic had been trying to block the Serb nationalist’s extradition so the timing and method of his departure was a closely guarded secret. With a correspondent waiting at the airport in the Netherlands Reuters was fast to report his arrival and to build a strong news file through the night. Serbia’s currency has risen 3.5 percent since the arrest on hopes Belgrade can improve relations with the West and develop its economy to earn European Union membership.