Journalism in Danger: Over 700 Journalists Killed in 10 Years, Only One Convicted IANS
go to original November 10, 2015

#70Posts70DaysUN70 - Protecting journalists United Nations (Jennipha)

More than 700 journalists have been killed over the past decade for bringing news and information to the public but the sad part is that only one in just 10 cases of the 700 killings has led to any conviction of those responsible, experts have said.

According to professor Jackie Harrison, joint head of the University of Sheffield's department of journalism studies, the deliberate targeting of reporters is relatively new and raises questions about press safety and the impunity of those who attack them.

"The way in which journalism is seen in different parts of the world has changed... Journalists used to be more protected, but what's happening now is that they are deliberately being targeted - and it's about information control," he lamented in a university statement.

Journalists themselves are getting killed because people are trying to silence them. "You can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but what is relatively new is this singling out of journalists. These are attacks on freedom of expression and the public right to know," he informed.

The United Nations (UN) has developed an "Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity". However, professor Harrison points out there is concern that plans like these can only succeed if news organizations and the public are aware of them and engage with matters of safety.

In order to investigate these issues, professor Harrison is carrying out interviews with editors and senior journalists working at news organizations in six countries. The target countries in the project are Pakistan, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Turkey, India and Bulgaria.

Read the rest at Free Press Journal

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