141 Media Workers Killed Across the Globe in Deadliest Year for Journalists
141 Media Workers Killed Across the Globe in Deadliest Year for Journalists
This has been the deadliest year for journalists, according to both the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Paris-based press watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Though the totals of deaths they have compiled differ, due to each using different criteria, the story is tragically similar. I mentioned IPI’s “death watch” toll in a posting last week.
Now let’s look at the RSF figures, which detail attacks and threats to journalists throughout 2012.
The bald numbers show 88 journalists were killed (up 33% on the year before) and a further 47 people described as “netizens and citizen journalists” were killed along with six “media assistants.” That’s a total of 141.
Then 879 journalists were arrested (plus a further 144 bloggers and netizens); 1,993 journalists were threatened or physically attacked; 38 journalists were kidnapped; and 73 journalists fled their countries.
The worst-hit regions were the Middle East and northern Africa (with 26 killed), Asia (24 killed) and sub-Saharan Africa (21 killed). Only the western hemisphere registered a fall in the number of journalists killed.