JOURNALIST SAFETY safety of journalists around the world In 2012, UNESCO reported that, around the world, more than 600 journalists and media workers have been killed in the past decade. Many more are imprisoned without following proper legal procedure and there are also increasing numbers of sexual assaults, especially against female journalists. Increase in killings and physical attacks against Increased imprisonments of media workers media workers The Committee to Protect Journalists reported in 2012 that imprisonment of journalists worldwide reached a record high of 232 people behind There were 121 killings of journalists, media workers and bloggers in bars, 132 of whom were held on anti-terror or other national security 2012 – this is almost double the combined killings in 2010 and 2011. charges. This represents 53 more than the number recorded for 2011. Many more media professionals suffered non-fatal attacks, including being wounded, raped, abducted, harassed, intimidated, or illegally arrested. Most media violations are not investigated or punished UNESCO reports that less than ten percent of all the cases they were aware of led to the conviction of those who committed the crimes. By failing to bring perpetrators of crimes to justice, governments allow the cycle of violence against journalists, including community media workers and citizen journalists, to continue. Local reporters are the most vulnerable Typically, the murdered journalists were not reporting in armed conflict situations, but on local stories, particularly related to corruption and other illegal activities such as organized crime and drugs. 7 Image: Right to Know (R2K) campaign images Back Contents Next