International News Safety Institute counts 109 journalist murders, 38 kidnappings in 2008

Brussels, 06 January - More than 100 journalists and support workers died covering the news in 2008, according to data compiled by the International News Safety Institute.

It counted 109 casualties in 36 countries, the great majority of them murdered apparently because of their work. An additional four deaths are still under investigation.

At least 1,375 news personnel now have died trying to gather the news in the 12 years since 1996, the start date for INSI’s “Killing The Messenger” tracker for global media casualties.

And 2009 has got off to a grim start with three deaths in the first four days, two in a suicide bombing in Pakistan and one gunned down in Somalia.

The figure for 2008, cross-checked with data gathered by the International Federation of Journalists, was significantly down from the 172 counted in 2007, a record year.

This was due mainly to a major fall in deaths in Iraq, from 65 to 16, the result of a general reduction in violence there. A total of 252 news personnel, most of them Iraqi, have now died covering that conflict since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.

“We celebrate a safer environment for our Iraqi colleagues after five long years of great danger and terrible casualties, but Iraq remains the deadliest place in the world for the news media,” said INSI Director Rodney Pinder.

“We can only hope and pray the situation continues to improve.”

Elsewhere in the world, there was little change in the daily dangers faced by thousands of journalists, most of them working in their own countries, covering low intensity conflicts, crime and corruption.

The deadliest countries after Iraq were India and Mexico, with 10 each, Thailand (9), the Philippines (8) and Pakistan (7). Five of the Thais were killed in a tragic car crash on their way to the funeral of a colleague murdered by a terrorist bomber. Accidents claimed 25 lives around the world in the course of the year.

INSI recorded at least 38 kidnappings in 2008, the worst places being Iraq (8), Pakistan (6), Somalia (5) and Afghanistan (4). Eight journalists died in captivity — six in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.

The casualty count outside Iraq and Afghanistan remained at the high end of the pre-war years. The five years 1997-2002 saw a low of 66 deaths and a high of 103.

“Journalists in far too many countries continue to be targeted for murder because of what they do,” Pinder said.

“This remains an intolerable situation which must be confronted with determination by the international community. Without a free press corruption and crime thrive, undermining political and economic development for millions.

“We call on all nations, in war and peace, to observe in letter and in spirit UN Security Council Resolution 1738 of 2006 on the safety of journalists and on ending impunity for those who kill them,” he said.

As a safety organisation INSI records all causes of death, whether deliberate, accidental or health-related, of all news media staff and freelancers while on a news assignment or as a result of a news organisation being attacked because of its work.

Details of all fatal incidents in 2008 and previous years are available on INSI’s website http://www.newssafety.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5177&Itemid=100190

Other journalist support groups who are members of INSI maintain their own records based on their own criteria. They are:

The International Federation of Journalists http://www.ifj.org

The Committee to Protect Journalists http://www.cpj.org

The International Press Institute http://freemedia.at/cms/ipi

The World Association of Newspapers http://www.wan-press.org

Any questions about this news release should be addressed to Rodney Pinder, rodney.pinder [at] newssafety.org or mobile +44 7734 709267 or Sarah de Jong, sarah.dejong [at] newssafety.org or tel.: +32 22 35 2201

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