There were 554 journalists killed in the last decade with a confirmed motive, a 15% percent increase in the number of those who lost their lives in the previous decade, according to data released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
If “media workers” are included in the numbers, then those killed rises to 603 between the years 2010 and 2019.
However, as The Hill notes, the number of journalists killed in the line of duty this year, 25, was the lowest of the decade.
This marks a significant drop from the 56 reported killings of journalists last year and an even larger decrease from the decade’s worst years, 2012 and 2013, when 74 journalists lost their lives in each of those two years.
CPJ cited the stabilization of several dangerous regional conflicts and the decrease in the number of journalists murdered in reprisal for their reporting as two main reasons for the overall fall in the number of those killed.
The report singled out Syria and Mexico as the two deadliest places for journalists in 2019.
At least seven journalists were killed in Syria this year, although that number has been in decline since 2012. Overall, at least 134 journalists have lost their lives in the Syrian conflict.
In Mexico, at least five journalists were killed in reprisal for their work in 2019, compared with four last year and six in 2017, according to CPJ.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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