Media killings on the rise

30 Apr 2010

At least 42 journalists around the world have been killed so far this year, with 17 killed in April alone, a global media protection organisation has said. A report released by the London-based International News Safety Institute (INSI) on Wednesday (28 April 2010), in the run up to World Press Freedom Day on May 3, warns media killings are on the rise.

INSI added that at least 27 of the killings this year have been proven to be linked to the journalists' work. The report calls on governments to take action to protect journalists and bring their killers to justice, noting that 80% of media killings in recent years have seen no convictions.

Paris-based UNESCO has called for a minute's silence in newsrooms around the world on 3 May in honour of the more than 1500 media workers killed over the past 14 years.

Source: Panos London

Panos London promotes the participation of poor and marginalised people in national and international development debates through media and communication projects. It is part of the worldwide Panos Network of independent institutes working to ensure that information is used more effectively to foster debate, pluralism and democracy.

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