Reporters Without Borders: At Least 74 Journalists and Media Activists Killed in 2016

Reporters Without Borders states that in the year coming to an end, at least 74 professional and non-professional journalists have been killed worldwide. Syria tops the list with 19 journalists killed. Following Syria, Afghanistan is next, where 10 journalists were killed, then Mexico and Iraq, with 9 and 5 journalists killed respectively. According to Reporters Without Borders, nearly all the victims were local journalists or media staff. The organization notes that although the number of professional casualties has decreased compared to last year, many journalists have effectively fled areas like Syria, Yemen, Iraq, or Libya due to excessive life threats. Reporters Without Borders believes that with the exit of journalists from crisis regions, the world is facing a news vacuum in these countries. In the report by this non-governmental organization, it is stated that 57 of the deceased were professional journalists, 9 were bloggers, and 8 were media staff (for example, technical personnel). Nearly three-quarters of all the deceased were directly targeted in connection with their profession. The Committee to Protect Journalists also reported in its latest report published on December 19 that at least 48 journalists were killed in connection with their profession during the year coming to an end; investigations into the deaths of 27 other journalists and their connection to journalism are still ongoing.