Reporters Without Borders: At least 65 media workers killed doing their jobs in 2017

DECEMBER 19, 2017  17H:50  GMT/UTC/ZULU TIME

by Isabelle Roussel and Biodun Iginla, BBC News and Reuters, Berlin

BERLIN - At least 65 media workers around the world have been killed doing their jobs this year, media freedom organization Reporters Without Borders said on Tuesday.

A woman reporter runs with a rebel fighter to avoid snipers at the frontline against the Islamic State fighters in Aleppo's northern countryside October 10, 2014. REUTERS/Jalal Al-Mamo

Among the dead were 50 professional journalists, seven citizen journalists and eight other media workers. The five most dangerous countries were Syria, Mexico, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Philippines.

Of those killed, 35 died in regions where armed conflict is ongoing while 30 were killed outside of such areas.

Thirty-nine of those killed were targeted for their journalistic work such as reporting on political corruption or organized crime while the other 26 were killed while working due to shelling and bomb attacks, for example.

“It’s alarming that so many journalists were murdered outside of war zones,” said Katja Gloger, a board member of Reporters Without Borders.

“In far too many countries perpetrators can assume they’ll get off scot-free if they’re violent towards media professionals,” she added.

The organization said more than 300 media workers were currently in prison, with around half of those in five countries, namely Turkey, China, Syria, Iran and Vietnam.