Media Khatare me? 65 journalists and media workers killed worldwide this year

Paris, December 20: Sixty-five journalists and media workers were killed worldwide this year, says annual figures published by Reporters Without Borders, RSF in Paris today. Among them were 50 professional reporters, the lowest toll in 14 years.

RSF said, war-torn Syria remains the most dangerous country in the world for journalists, with 12 reporters killed, followed by Mexico where 11 were killed. The downward trend is due at least in part to journalists giving up working in the world's deadliest spots.

According to RSF, 26 people “were killed in the course of their work, the collateral victims of a deadly situation such as an airstrike, an artillery bombardment, or a suicide bombing.”

It said the remaining 39 “were murdered, and deliberately targeted because their reporting threatened political, economic, or criminal interests.”

RSF stressed that some countries which are not at war have become as dangerous for reporters as war zones, with 46 percent of deaths occurring in such places in 2017, as against 30 percent the previous year.

The overall downward trend did not apply to women, as 10 female reporters were killed this year, double the previous year’s total. RSF said many of the female victims were experienced and determined investigative reporters with an abrasive writing style.

Behind Syria and Mexico, the deadliest countries for reporters were Afghanistan, where nine journalists were killed in 2017, and Iraq where eight perished. With four journalists gunned down, the Philippines was Asia’s deadliest country.

RSF said there was a drop of 6 percent in the number of journalists detained, with nearly half of them held in just five countries, China, Turkey, Syria, Iran and Vietnam.

RSF added that 54 journalists are currently being held hostage by groups such as Islamic State and the Houthis in Yemen.