The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has estimated that 58
journalists were killed in the course of their work last year. Iraq was
the most dangerous place, with 22 killed, followed by the Philippines,
where the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said seven were
killed in retaliation for their reporting of crime and corruption.
The WAN death toll compared with 71 in 2004, 53 in 2003 and 46 in 2002.
Last
week the IFJ declared 2005 to be the most dangerous on record for
journalists and media workers, with 150 killed. Its total included
those who died when disaster struck on assignment, such as the 48
Iranian journalists killed in a plane crash. It also includes drivers,
fixers and translators employed by media companies.
According to
the International News Safety Institute, which also includes accidental
deaths, 146 media workers were killed in the line of work last year.
And
Reporters Without Borders claimed that 63 journalists were killed doing
their job last year, that organisation’s highest death toll for a
decade.
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