Journalists under fire: Can you handle the truth? · Issue 840, by Penelope Apostolou

If your answer is no, then close your eyes and ignore the facts. If your answer is yes, read on and find out about the deadliest countries for journalists to operate in, about those who are behind the killings and what has been done to punish the crimes against the freedom of the press.

“His name was Ahmed and he worked for Al-Iraqiya, a television station which is part of the US-backed Iraqi Media Network. He was an Iraqi journalist killed by insurgents who punish local journalists for cooperating with Western organisations. The day after Ahmed’s death, insurgents circulated a list of media staff and posted it on the walls of Mosques in Mosul. Soon, more journalists were to have his fate”.

The journalist’s name is fictional but the facts are very real. Iraq continues to be the worst place for journalists for the fourth year in a row, with 2006 being by far the deadliest one. Local journalists are treated like “traitors” and find terrible deaths in the hands of insurgents.

The second most dangerous country in the world is Russia, where the story goes something like this: “Her name was Natalia and she worked for a newspaper as an investigative journalist. She was attacked and fatally injured by unknown assailants at her apartment”.

According to the annual reports published by international press organisations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International News Safety Institute (INSI) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) more women journalists are killed in this European country than in any other country of the world. The majority of the journalists who lost their lives were editors renowned for their critical line against official corruption or investigative journalists who tried to expose government corruption and the illicit activities of criminal groups.

Last but not least in the top-3 of the worst countries in the world for the press members comes Colombia. This Latin American country has been plagued by a national armed conflict between paramilitary organizations and the army while the economy in Colombia is dominated by a rampant drug trade. Colombian journalists continue to lose their lives under unclear conditions and fall pray to both corrupt officials and paramilitary groups who wish to silence the media.

Yes, it is shocking to discover that since 1996 nearly 1100 members of the press were killed in the line of duty either deliberately targeted for their reporting or in fatal accidents while they were on assignment. The most shocking discovery, however, is the fact that nearly all crimes – 90 percent – are committed with impunity.

Whether they are insurgents, corrupt officials, paramilitary organisations or criminals those who target journalists, do so without hesitation and most importantly, without being punished for their crimes against members of the press.

What remains is to hope that 2007 will be a better year for the media, and that journalists who are simply doing their duty will stop paying with their lives to bring the news to the world.