Nearly 1,700 journalists have been killed worldwide over the past 20 years, an average of more than 80 a year, according to an analysis published by Reporters Without Borders. The two decades between 2003 and 2022 were "especially deadly decades for those in the service of the right to inform", said the Paris-based media rights campaigners.
Behind the figures, there are the faces, personalities, talent and commitment of those who have paid with their lives for their information gathering, their search for the truth and their passion for journalism. Iraq and Syria were the most dangerous countries to work as a journalist, accounting for "a combined total of 578 journalists killed in the past 20 years, or more than a third of the worldwide total", RSF said.
We condemn all attacks and violence against journalists and media workers. No members of the press should be threatened, harassed, physically attacked, or arrested for doing their job.
We condemn all attacks and
violence against journalists
and media workers
It needs no mentioning that over the last years, the ground and impact of journalism, with the innovation and intervention of technology, has expanded at a rapid pace. Consequently manipulation over the journalists is pushing them towards suppression, sometimes ideologically, sometimes morally. Journalists who try to be vocal about the truth are often seen being harassed, murdered and slaughtered. Thus journalism is increasingly becoming a risky profession and eventually journalists tend to refrain from reporting on sensitive issues.
Journalists are the mirror of the society but their journey to becoming a mirror to reflect the ugly events of our society is thorny indeed. Journalists are those who keep the truth alive even in the face of danger. However, in order to expose the truth and sift fact from the fiction, they face many difficulties in the form of threats and manipulation by various unscrupulous wing of power.
There has been a troubling spike in the number of journalists murdered for their work around the world in the past years. Around 1,200 journalists were killed in last 14 years for reporting news and bringing information to the public and 90 per cent of cases related to the killing or torturing journalists remain unresolved.
Murder is the ultimate form of censorship, yet the perpetrators are seldom held to account. In nine out of 10 cases where a journalist has been targeted for murder, their killers go free. The price of a story should never be that high.
A safe and enabling environment for journalists should be created to allow them to work independently and without fear or unjustified interference. We call on the authorities to be more tolerant towards free expression and those exercising their constitutional right to it.
