Reporter kidnapped in Baghdad is known for pursuing gutsy assignments

The American freelance journalist who was kidnapped Tuesday in Iraq has been described by friends and colleagues as a determined, gutsy reporter. Shelly Kittleson is a 49-year-old Wisconsin native. She often works without formal assignments from editors and on a shoestring budget, taking shared taxis to lawless corners of Iraq where militia rule outweighs government control. Kittleson has lived abroad for years and built a respected journalism career across the Middle East. She often embeds herself in local communities, sometimes staying with families rather than in hotels. She vanished after being forced into a car by two men at a busy Baghdad intersection.