News deaths hit all-time high

At least 171 journalists and other news media staff have died as a result of their work around the world so far this year, making 2007 the bloodiest year on record for the industry.

With more than a month still to go before the end of the year, the all-time high of 168 deaths recorded in 2006 was exceeded on November 27 when at least three editorial staff were killed in Sri Lanka during a military air strike on a radio station.

"This horrible statistic should be regarded as a low point in the safety and welfare of the media profession. We need better protection for media workers worldwide," said International News Safety Institute Honorary President Chris Cramer.

According to casualty records maintained by the Brussels-based Institute the dead between 1 January and 28 November comprise 142 journalists and 29 support staff, such as drivers, translators and news technicians, in 35 countries.

The great majority – 121 – were apparently murdered, targeted because of their jobs. Fifteen died in crossfire or other random attacks, 34 were killed in road or air accidents while the circumstances of one death were unclear.

The most murderous country again was Iraq, where 64 died, taking the total news media toll since the start of the war to at least 235. Others were Sri Lanka (six murders), Afghanistan, Mexico, India and Philippines (five each) and Haiti, Pakistan and Somalia (four each).

Sri Lanka's position as a highly dangerous country for the news media was confirmed when the Air Force bombed the Voice of Tigers, the official radio station of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the northern province of Vanni. Nine people were killed, including at least three editorial staff, according to reliable reports. All were reported to be civilians.

Journalists are protected as civilians in a war zone and the deliberate targeting of civilians not taking a direct part in hostilities is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.

The United States ranked second after Iraq in the total number of journalists who have died this year trying to cover the news, but all but one of the casualties were as a result of an air or road accident. Four diedwhen two news helicopters collided while trying to cover a police car chase in Phoenix in July. Nigeria also has a questionable overall safety record with six dead in a single accident last May.

"The news media death toll around the world has risen almost every year since the millennium – each year worse than the one before," said INSI Director Rodney Pinder. "This is despite international calls for an end to the murder of journalists and other news professionals and an end to impunity for their killers. It is far beyond time for nations and the international community to back up these calls with action.

"Far too many news media also die in road or air accidents. It is time for many news organisations to take more seriously their duty of care, for staff and freelancers alike. Proper training and observance of good safety practice often can avoid needless deaths," he added.

Analysis of casualty data by INSI shows at least 1,200 news media staff died covering the news around the world between 1996 and mid-2007. Two-thirds were murdered and in nine out of 10 cases no one was brought to justice.

Following two years of campaigning by INSI, the International Federation of Journalists and the European Broadcasting Union, the UN Security Council last December unanimously passed Resolution 1738 on the protection of journalists in conflict zones and on the need to end impunity for their killers. The Council of Europe passed Resolution 1535 in January on the safety of journalists in peacetime as well as war.

"We call on governments everywhere to respect these resolutions in the letter and the spirit and take determined, effective action to stem the bloodshed," Pinder said.

Details of all fatal incidents recorded by INSI in 2007 and previous years can be obtained from www.newssafety.com/casualties/2007.htm

INSI is a unique coalition of news organisations, journalist support groups and individuals exclusively dedicated to the safety of news media staff working in dangerous environments. It is a non-profit charity, supported by membership
contributions which are channelled back into safety work.

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.

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 www.ifj.org
    The Committee to Protect Journalists www.cpj.org
    The International Press Institute www.freemedia.at/cms/ipi
    The World Association of Newspapers www.wan-press.org