Now that the coalition armed forces have reached one of Iraq's key locations - the capital city, Baghdad - many American news organisations are turning their embedded reporters into independent unilaterals.

CNN has moved all embedded journalists in Baghdad over to independent status, and is apparently sending in reinforcements. Nic Robertson, who was kicked out of the capital by the Iraqi authorities during the opening stages of the war, has returned to the city. The network seems very much to be marketing itself as an independent news outlet - also announcing today that it will not allow its news broadcasts to appear on the coalition "Towards Freedom" channel in Iraq. Newscasts from ABC, NBC, CBS and the Fox News Channel will all air on the station.

NBC's Bob Arnot and Chip Read are no longer embeds, although the network is keeping two journalists embedded with the military. ABC is keeping four journalists embedded but withdrawing three; CBS is withdrawing all its embedded journalists, instead preferring to move in Dan Rather, Lee Cowan, Randall Pinkston and WCBS-TV's Kimberley Dozier as independents.

The Fox News Channel is moving reporters back into Iraq, after all the channel's reporters were kicked out before the war began.