BRUSSELS: Russia’s war in Ukraine, chaos in Haiti, and increasing violence by criminal groups in Mexico are set to increase the number of media workers who will lose their lives reporting in 2022. This information has been given in a new report released on Friday. This news has created panic in the media world.
A report released by the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said that at least 67 journalists and media workers have been killed around the world so far this year, compared to 47 last year. According to the IFJ, at least 375 journalists around the world have been arrested for their work this year.
Hong Kong, China, Myanmar, and Turkey have the highest number of journalists put behind bars. Last year, 365 were reported as the number of journalists arrested for work. This is curbing the freedom of journalists to report.
The IFJ and other media rights groups have called on governments to take more concrete steps to protect journalists and ensure independent journalism, given the rise in the number of media workers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
“Failure to ensure the safety of media workers will only embolden those who seek to stifle the free flow of information and undermine people’s ability to hold their leaders accountable,” IFJ Secretary General Anthony Belanger said in a statement.
According to the organization, Ukraine has recorded 12 deaths from media workers reporting the war this year, more than any other country. Most of the media persons who died were Ukrainian, but they also included journalists from other countries, such as American documentary filmmaker Brent Reynaud.
