The extent of risk attached to a journalist’s life can be estimated from figures showing that 42 media workers lost their lives in
Iraq from Jan. 1 to June 26, and a total of 214 were slaughtered while covering conflicts since March 2003.
This is just a small chunk of butchering that is a household affair across the for the media persons. According to
Brussels- based International News Safety Institute, nearly one hundred journalists and media workers succumbed to death on the job in a short span of six months starting from January 2007. This marks an astonishing rise of 32 lives per year in comparison to last year’s estimates, which showed 68 deaths. If the horrendous trend continues at the same pace, 2007 will outshine do 2006 as the deadliest year for the news media.
Another, incident to tell the grim tale of journalist’s non-existent identity is the case of five journalists, who were killed in 1975 in East Timor and are awaiting justice…even after bearing 32 long years of ignorance and insignificance.
Is this the price that the dedicated journalists have to pay for doing what they are supposed to do professionally…spreading awareness?
Just imagine, Swazi authorities have issued a banned against health workers from talking to the media in response to a spate of stories highlighting the impact of a critical drug shortage…now think, who is to be killed? The medical authorities who are hiding the truth from the population, and risking their lives due to lack of medication or the journalists who are doing nothing but making the people aware of the grim reality.