FIRST OFF . . .

Jordanian officials Wednesday pulled the press credentials of a Jordanian national who worked as a stringer for NBC, days after they yanked NBC correspondent Rick Davis’s press card. NBC identified the stringer as Samira Kawar, who also worked as a stringer for the Washington Post and the (London) Financial Times in Amman. Davis’ credentials were yanked by Jordanian authorities in response to his reports on the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Jordan, prepared with Kawar’s help. Davis must leave the country by Friday; NBC says it hasn’t yet picked a replacement. The correspondent is the second NBC staffer to run afoul of Middle East officials in a week. The other is Martin Fletcher, whose press card was temporarily suspended by the Israelis. In a cable protesting Davis’ expulsion, NBC News president Lawrence K. Grossman told Jordan’s King Hussein: “It is indeed shameful that Jordan has now joined Israel in denying press credentials to a distinguished NBC News correspondent stationed within its borders.”