BRUSSELS - At least 94 journalists died in violence this year, the International Federation of Journalists said Friday, adding that Pakistan was the most dangerous place in 2010 for media workers.
“Journalists and media personnel remain prime targets for political extremists, gangsters and terrorists,” the Brussels-based organisation said in a report, adding that another three died in accidents over the past 12 months.
The death toll came at the hands of “targeted killings, bomb attacks and crossfire incidents,” it said.
In 2009, the total was 139 journalists.
The IFJ said 15 media workers died in Pakistan this year, adding that the majority of the annual fatalities comprised “victims of violence connected to the insurgency war in Pakistan, the drug war in Mexico as well as the political unrest in Honduras.”
| Much as we'd be tempted to make fun of this -- for example, saying that 94 dead journalists would be a 'good start' -- it's a serious matter. We at the Burg depend on news from around the world to understand the War on Terror, and it's those very reporters who provide that news who are most at risk, whereas the average reporter at WaPo or the NYT isn't at risk for anything more than being stuck for a lunch tab with a politician. I thank the reporters at places like the Pakistan Daily Times for being brave enough to get out there and report the basic news. |
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