New Report: At Least 42 Journalists Killed Worldwide in 2017

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports in a new study that at least 42 journalists were killed while performing their journalistic duties in 2017, marking the second consecutive decline in the annual number of journalists killed since the early part of this decade. The CPJ, based in New York, promotes 'free press for the growth of civil societies' while defending journalists' rights. The report, published on Thursday, December 21, on the organization's website, also indicates that fewer journalists were killed in Middle Eastern conflicts in 2017, and the number of journalists killed in retaliation for their reports decreased this year, except in Mexico. According to the report, the number of journalists who fell victim to retaliatory attacks in Mexico reached an unprecedented record in the country's history this year. The global number of journalists killed had reached high records in the early part of this decade, but CPJ states that since no new military conflicts occurred this year, the numbers have begun to decline. From January 1 to December 15 of this year, at least 42 journalists have died worldwide while on duty, compared to at least 48 journalists killed throughout 2016. The CPJ is investigating the deaths of 20 other journalists in 2017, but has not yet been able to confirm a link between their deaths and their journalistic work. In the four years prior to 2016, the number of murdered journalists ranged from 61 to 74 annually, as the dangers from escalating battles in the Middle East also affected on-site reporters. According to the report, journalists in parts of the Middle East remain in serious danger, with Iraq and Syria reported as the deadliest places for journalists in 2017. This year, at least eight journalists were killed in Iraq and at least seven reporters in Syria. Since the CPJ began collecting these statistics in 1992, Iraq has topped the list of the most dangerous countries for journalists, with at least 186 journalists having lost their lives there. Meanwhile, this is the first year in six years that Syria is not at the top of the annual deadliest countries list for journalists. Since late 2011, when civil unrest in that country turned into military conflict, at least 114 journalists have been killed there. At least two journalists were also killed this year while covering the conflict in Yemen. Both died on May 26 in the city of Taiz when an artillery shell struck the building where they were sheltering. The CPJ had also released a report a week earlier on the number of journalists imprisoned worldwide, indicating that their numbers have reached a new historical record. According to the CPJ, this 'demonstrates the impotence of the international community in addressing the crisis of press and media freedom.' In this context, Reporters Without Borders noted that Turkey, China, Syria, and Iran are the largest prisons for journalists, with the number of imprisoned journalists worldwide reaching a historical record.