Reuters responds to social media criticism on Yemen reporter

Social media users have heavily criticised the Reuters news agency after it became clear that Mohammed Sudam, the news wire's reporter in Yemen is also employed as the personal translator of Yemen's dictator who has been in power for over 33 years. More on this issue can be found on Brian Whitaker's blog. France 24 Arabic covered the story including a tweet I sent asking Reuters for clarification on the issue.

Following the report Reuters sent a statement to France 24 Arabic that I have translated below into English:

“For more than 160 years the coverage of Reuters in the Middle East has been a trustworthy source of news. We consider that the work of Mohammed Sudam as a part-time reporter rises to the international standards that we adhere to around the world.” - Reuters News Agency November 16 2011

Link to France 24 Arabic story provided by Dory Aleryani. More on this issue can be found on her blog.

UPDATE 

This is the official English language statement as provided by France 24 Arabic's Tatiana El Khoury:

"For more than 160 years, Reuters coverage has been a trusted source in the Middle East. Mohammed Suddam's contributions to the file as a stringer are balanced and meet the high standards we set for the news organization globally." - Reuters