sunnykerr

At least 109 reporters and other news media workers were killed last year while on assignment, the International Federation of Journalists said Wednesday in its annual report on press safety.

Iraq remained the most deadly place to work with 16 journalists killed there in 2008.

The number of deaths in Iraq was down from 65 in 2007 because of a decline in sectarian violence, the IFJ said.

Many journalist deaths do not get wide coverage internationally because the journalists are Iraqi nationals.

The IFJ said the business of journalism remains "acutely dangerous" in some parts of the world, including Mexico, Pakistan and the Philippines.

There were 10 media deaths recorded in Mexico, the same number in India and seven in Pakistan.

Mexico has seen deaths rise because of drug trafficking and gang wars.

In the Philippines, there were nine journalists killed, including five radio reporters murdered in drive-by shootings after covering corruption. The government has been slow to investigate these murders, the IFJ said.

In India, six journalists were murdered in areas with civil insurgency and two were caught in crossfire in Kashmir and Jammu.

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 123 countries.

109 journalists died on assignment in 2008: report

I don't know if it's because I do hold a BA in Journalism, but this shocked me. Well, it didn't surprise me because it is a known thing in journalism circles, but I always get shocked by the sheer amount of people who die doing this.

The other surprising thing is the locations. I didn't realize Mexico was such a "dangerous" place for reporters...

vc318

When I think about what those news reporters. journalists, and cameramen have to deal with when they go to a war ridden country to do an assignment, that must be a scary thing.

*Ledi*

Seriously. I don't even know how they do it. I really don't think I would be able to.

cookiely

and how many were killed in Russia?

Bella Grint

Yep this is nothing new. Iraq and Mexico were always dangerous spots for journalists atleast in the past decade or so. I am surprised Africa isn't on the list.

sunnykerr

Well, that's the thing, isn't it? This is an international organization of journalists. Obviously, the deaths in question have to be on their radar in order for them to take it into account.

So, what makes a death appear on their radar? Is it when the reporters who die are members of their organization? Is it when they know that there are reporters in a given region?

And do they take into account people who are not necessarily members of any journalistic union but who do journalism work? I mean, freelance journalists, people who go do the work in the hopes of selling it at a later date, photographs, videographers, bloggers, etc.

So I hardly thing this means 109 is the sum total of journalists who died.

Bella Grint

Neither do I and some countries are probably being left out. And I know some deaths are being covered up.

sunnykerr

Death cover ups, another thing I hadn't even taken into account.

For instance, take Russia. I know Russia today isn't Russia during the Soviet Union... but, still. Do you have to sign government documents and get permits or whatever to "count" as a journalist?

I don't know.

Bella Grint

Well if the journalists were covering (or uncovering) some truth that needed to be kept secret..or stuff to do with their governments and lies,etc...

sunnykerr

That's it. If they're gonna through the trouble of covering up a "disappearance," it's just as easy to cover up that the person being disappeared was acting in a journalistic capacity.

Bella Grint

Yeah but I suppose what happens more often is what was described in the article you posted, a lot of journalists are just at the wrong place at the wrong time or at a scene of a attack.