Nine editorial staff from the regional press will travel to the Gulf with the Ministry of Defence in the event of war breaking out with Iraq.

The seven reporters and two photographers would travel as war correspondents and have been drawn from seven regional newspapers across the UK. They would pool copy and pictures for regional coverage and remain abroad for a minimum of two months.

Staff from the Birmingham Evening Mail, Eastern Daily Press, Wolverhampton Express & Star, Ipswich Evening Star, Manchester Evening News, Portsmouth News and Western Daily Press would fly to the Gulf.

Their Press Corps members will have been nominated from the time the newspapers applied for membership.

Material they gather would go to all 18 members of the Regional Press Corps, and be available to all other regional newspapers at reasonable rates.

The Newspaper Society stipulates that copy must be pooled "swiftly and efficiently" and should be in a style suitable for all regional newspapers.

The guidelines state: "The facility is primarily to provide news coverage for the regional press. Features must be a secondary and additional consideration.

"The representative paper must put the needs of the parent organisation second to the needs of the regional press as a whole. Stories of interest only to the reporter's newspaper must be secondary to these obligations."

A list of newspapers to contact for material will be available on the Newspaper Society website, if and when the facilities begin.

The Regional Press Corps was established in 1983. There are currently 18 members, each with their nominated correspondent.

Membership is open to all regional newspapers and updated on a yearly basis, when the Society contacts editors directly.

Applicants must complete an application form and only newspapers that meet the criteria in full are selected.

Editors have to confirm that their journalist is physically fit, able to endure difficult and dangerous environments, and able to travel by air and sea.

They must have a good defence knowledge, be able to leave at short notice and to be overseas for an indefinite period of time.

The newspapers involved would have to pay half the flight costs, as well as their staff expenses.

In addition to the seven newspapers which won the ballot to send a reporter to the Gulf, these newspapers are also members of the Regional Press Corps: Bournemouth Daily Echo, Brighton Evening Argus, Bristol Evening Post, Colchester Evening Gazette, Derby Evening Telegraph, Liverpool Echo, Newcastle Evening Chronicle, Northern Echo, Shields Gazette, Southern Daily Echo and Yorkshire Evening Post.

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
e-mail pastill@nep.co.uk