The volcanic eruption in Iceland didn’t just disrupt flights across Europe for a few weeks in April, it also played a role in the downfall of the commander of the United States’ operation in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal.

President Obama yesterday sacked the four star general after comments in a Rolling Stone profile piece came to light. (By the way, here’s the full article).

The reporter that wrote the piece, Michael Hastings, was initially meant to spend two days in Paris with McChrystal and his entourage.

After that it would be on to Afghanistan where he would then shadow him further.

The eruption of Eyjafjallajokull kept them grounded in Paris longer than expected, and eventually they had to take a bus to Berlin.

Hastings used this extended time to his advantage, immersing himself within the General’s close knit circle, encountering a candour and forthrightness that has caused a media storm.

One of the questions to emerge from this story is as follows: would a ‘beat’ reporter have been as willing to expose the comments made by McChrystal and co? Hastings is a freelance and Thomas Ricks argues that this should have made McChrystal cautious. Jack Shafer doesn’t think it makes a difference:

“A popular theory endorsed yesterday by Politico before the site tossed it down the memory hole today—is that Hastings was inherently dangerous because he’s a freelance reporter.

“According to this theory, freelancers happily burn their subjects because they’re not likely to return to them, whereas beat reporters must rely on maintaining good day-to-day relations with them. I don’t buy this. Feature writers and beat reporters are equally capable of taking a dive for their subjects.

“I don’t know of any beat reporter who wouldn’t have gotten a promotion for catching McChrystal and his staff shooting off their mouths, and I don’t know any newspaper that would have hesitated to publish the story.

Moral of the story: If you’re going to talk crazy, no reporter will protect you from your foolishness.”

This piece in the Guardian examines the strength of al-Qaida, the perpetrator of the attacks, and concludes that while the organisation is weak – short on recruits and money – ‘simply surviving represents a victory’, in the words of one analyst.

One such story appeared in various papers yesterday was a modeling agency were advertising a job as an adult television presenter on the Jobcentre Plus website. I thought the story had some potential so I suggested it to online, who checked it out.

Today I shadowed a cameraman on various jobs. First up we were at Chatham House covering the Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth’s speech on Afghanistan, his first major speech in his new role. Afterwards he was interviewed by Sky’s defence correspodent Geoff Meade.

Then we headed to Sky’s studio in Millbank where we were given our second assignment of the day. I also managed to spot Robert Peston walking down the street. I wasn’t exactly starstruck but seeing someone in the flesh when you’re so used to seeing them on TV is quite weird.

Anyway, Joel Hills, business correspondent for Sky News, was interviewing two city bankers about Alistair Darling’s proposals to reform the banking sector, which were revealed today in a white paper.

This was on the roof of a building right in the heart of the City which offered spectacular views and shots for the piece. Thankfully the torrential rain that had been falling for most of the day held back while we were up there!