The dangerous search for the truth

The work of a journalist is hard, often thankless and always dangerous. In 2011, 66 journalists were killed while on the job in Africa, the Middle-East, Asia, the Americas and Europe.

In 2011, 1044 journalists were arrested, nearly double that of the 535 arrested in 2010.

The most dangerous of these places is Pakistan. Ten Journalists were killed in that country alone last year, making it the most dangerous country for a journalist to work in. The Middle-East is also especially dangerous to work in, as 20 journalists were killed during the Arab Spring uprising.

Journalists aren’t the only ones facing persecution; more than 200 Bloggers were arrested in 2011. The main reason for this is it’s easier for bloggers to supply information from the ground, even during a media blackout. This also led to attacks on bloggers or ‘netizens’ doubling over the last year, especially in places of social unrest like Mexico. In Mexico alone three bloggers were killed.

In Bahrain, where media censorship is ongoing, a blogger was tried and convicted by a military court. To date he has yet to be tried in a civilian court. It is also very difficult for journalists to get entry into the country to cover the pro-democracy protests. Many journalists in the country were also detained and tried before a military court.

In Syria, where anti-government protests are still continuing, at least 30 journalists have been jailed.

During the anti-government protests and the rebel revolt in Libya, several journalists were killed, most notably, South African photojournalist, Anton Hammerl. He was killed by pro-Gaddafi forces while working as a freelance photographer. When his family tried to find out where he was, they were told that he was captured and being held in detention. It was only later, when some of his colleagues were released from prison, that his family was informed of his death.

2011 has been a harrowing year for journalists, but focus has shifted to their safety, especially in times of social and political unrest.

Several countries, like Iraq, Philippines, Colombia, Pakistan and Mexico, are very dangerous. In Iraq, 151 journalists have been killed since 1992, in Philippines 72 have been killed, in Colombia 43, in Pakistan 41 and in Mexico 27 journalists have been killed.

As the media focus shifts towards the safety of journalists, one can only hope that this will lead to increased safety measures for all journalists working in dangerous war zones.

(This is a post by our new intern Kristian Meijer)

(Image: Official U.S. Navy Imagery, CC by 2.0, via Flickr)

Tags: blogger, journalist, photojournalist, safety