HE'S reported from war zones across the world, including Afghanistan and Iraq, but Gwent-born television cameraman Dai Baker is facing his most nerve-racking assignment yet - receiving an award from President George Bush at the White House.

ITN cameraman Dai Baker, originally from Risca, has won four of the most prestigious photojournalist awards in the world, and is set to be congratulated by the world's most powerful man.

Mr Baker, 32, who works in ITN's Washington office, came out top in the White House News Photographers' Association annual awards in a competition called The Eyes of History 2005

The association is considered the most distinguished group of photojournalists in the United States.

He was awarded the overall prize of Video Photographer of the Year, and also came first in three separate categories in the competition:

l News Feature Category for his work on the re-opening of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

l News Special Reports Category for three pieces about how Americans were likely to vote in the US presidential elections.

l Political Category for WMD: the Hunt for Truth, a piece about why evidence suggesting there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was ignored in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.

Mr Baker, who wrote a series of articles for the Argus while covering the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, said: "When I heard I had won I was absolutely stunned for a couple of hours. Then I went down the pub to celebrate.

"I am receiving my award from the president in the Oval Office, and I'm absolutely terrified. I have got to try not to fall over. I'll be so nervous.

"It's quite an achievement, not only for me, but for the company, because ITN have never won at these awards."

Mr Baker was competing against cameramen from the top US networks.