Thursday, December 27, 2007
Journalist deaths hit decade peak - 5 killed in Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Journalists were killed in unusually high numbers in 2007, making it the deadliest year for the press in more than a decade, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists' end-of-year analysis.
Worldwide, CPJ found 64 journalists were killed in direct connection to their work in 2007-up from 56 last year-and it is investigating another 22 deaths to determine whether they were work-related.
CPJ has recorded only one year with a higher death toll: 1994, when 66 journalists were killed, many in conflicts in Algeria, Bosnia, and Rwanda.
For the fifth straight year, Iraq was the deadliest country in the world for the press. Its 31 victims account for nearly half of the 2007 toll.
Most of the victims were targeted and murdered, such as Washington Post reporter Salih Saif Aldin, who died in Baghdad from a single gunshot wound to the head. In all, 24 deaths in Iraq were murders and seven occurred in combat-related crossfire.
Unidentified gunmen, suicide bombers, and U.S. military activity all posed fatal risks for Iraqi journalists. All but one of 31 journalists killed were Iraqi nationals.
They worked mainly for local media, although nine worked for international news organizations such as The New York Times, ABC News, Reuters, and The Associated Press.
The 2007 toll in Iraq is consistent with that of 2006, when 32 journalists died.
Twelve media support workers, such as bodyguards and drivers, also died in Iraq. Since the beginning of the war in March 2003, 124 journalists and 49 media workers have been killed, making it the deadliest conflict for the press in recent history. More than one-third worked for international news organizations.
Somalia was the second-deadliest country for the media in 2007, with seven journalist deaths. "Horrific violence in Iraq overshadowed the increasingly deteriorating environment for the media in Somalia," said Simon.
"Journalists reporting in Somalia face great risks every day."
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Image and Article source: news india times
Article taken from the issue: 28 Dec 2007
Labels: iraq, journalists, media, pakistan, reports death rate, somalia, srilanka
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