26 January 2005
WAN CONFIRMS DECADE-HIGH DEATH TOLL FOR JOURNALISTS
Echoing global surveys released by other IFEX members, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has concluded that 2004 was the deadliest year in a decade for journalists. The organisation says 71 journalists and media workers were killed - the highest number in a single year since 1994, when 73 lost their lives.
The violence in Iraq accounted for the deaths of 23 journalists, making it the most dangerous country for media outlets. The Philippines was the next deadliest country for journalists, with 11 killed in 2004, compared with seven in 2003.
WAN notes that while violent conflicts accounted for a large number of deaths, most of the killings occurred because journalists were reporting and investigating organised crime, drug trafficking and corruption. The majority of the murders go unpunished. In the past decade, hundreds of journalists have been killed and in more than two-thirds of the cases, no one has been brought to justice, says WAN.
For this reason, WAN says it will focus on impunity when it marks World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2005.
WAN's figures include all media workers killed in the line of duty or targeted because of their work. It also includes cases where the motive for the killings is unclear or where investigations have not been completed.
Details of all the murders, listed by country, are available on the WAN web site at:
http://www.wan-press.org/rubrique512.html
Several IFEX members track the number of journalists killed each year. The numbers vary based on the criteria used by different members.
To see their reports, visit:
- International Federation of Journalists: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=2903&Language=EN
- Committee to Protect Journalists: http://www.cpj.org/killed/killed04.html
- International Press Institute: http://www.freemedia.at/Death_Watch/d_watch_main.htm
- Reporters sans frontières: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=12233
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