Reporters on the Job

from the July 1, 2008 edition

• Walk the Talk: When reporter Mark Rice-Oxley went down to his local gas station to see if the surveys about British motorists cutting back on driving were true, he suspected that he'd find the opposite. "British drivers can be quite precious about their cars," he says. But every single person he spoke with said they were cutting back .

"Perhaps I shouldn't have been so surprised since we've been doing the same. We're taking fewer weekend trips," he says.

Still, Mark's meeting with some stiff resistance at home. "I have three young children, and my daughter's first word was 'car.' She gets quite uppity if we say we're going to walk somewhere. She stands pointing at the car," he says.

He says that if his daughter is any indication, reeducating the next generation on climate change and the realities of higher fuel prices may take some doing.

Of course, sometimes the public transportation system isn't up to the task. Mark drove to his second job in London Monday. "I'd take public transport, but it doesn't run when I get off of work at 2 a.m. Sometimes, a private car is the only option," he says.

• Gas Lines: As correspondent Sam Dagher drove to Iraq's oil ministry Monday for a press conference announcing that it was inviting bids by foreign firms to boost oil and gas production , he noticed that the lines at the gas stations were long – longer than usual. "There were many more people waiting to fill up," he says.

"When we got to the oil ministry, our driver stayed in the parking lot chatting with other drivers. He learned that the truckers who deliver fuel are on strike, protesting for higher pay," says Sam. Similar strikes are occurring in Europe and India .

– David Clark Scott

World editor