9 July 2003
TWO MEDIA WORKERS KILLED
Two freelance journalists were killed in Iraq last week, highlighting the ongoing issue of journalists' safety in the war-torn country. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) warned that the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, is "still a deadly war zone where no journalist's safety can be guaranteed," following the death of British freelance camera operator Richard Wild and Australian television sound technician Jeremy Little.
Wild, who arrived in Baghdad two weeks ago, was standing in a crowd when he was shot and killed on 5 July by a single bullet fired into his head at close range, reports IFJ. The assailant fled into the crowd and was not apprehended. Wild is the first journalist killed in the ambushes, shootings and other attacks that have plagued Coalition Forces in Iraq in recent weeks.
Little died on 6 July from injuries suffered in a grenade attack a week earlier in the Iraqi town of Fallujah, notes the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). He died of "post-operative complications," according to his employer, NBC News. Little, a 27-year-old Australian national who was embedded with the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, had been receiving treatment at a military hospital in Germany.
At least 16 journalists have been killed while covering the war in Iraq, say CPJ and IFJ.
Visit these links for more information:
- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2003/gulf03/gulf03.html#latest
- IFJ: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?index=1624&Language=EN
- IFEX alerts and reports on Journalists' Safety: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/240/
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