Global death toll for journalists ‘third worst on record’

December 20, 2012 Leave a comment

By Helena Williams

An ambulance believed to be carrying the bodies of two western journalists, Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik, arriving at Alassad University Hospital in Damascus, Syria. The American journalist Mary Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed on February 22 during an intense bombardment of the Baba Amro district of Homs, Syria. (AP Photo/APTN)

An ambulance believed to be carrying the bodies of two western journalists, Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik, arriving at Alassad University Hospital in Damascus, Syria. The American journalist Mary Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were killed on February 22 during an intense bombardment of the Baba Amro district of Homs. (AP Photo/APTN)

Journalists killed while covering the the violence in Syria made up the majority of news media casualties in 2012 in one of the bloodiest years on record.

Preliminary findings by the International News Safety Institute show that at least 156 journalists and other media staff were killed because of their work. The global death toll is the third worst on record since INSI began in 2003.

The 33 casualties in Syria were almost double those of the second most dangerous country for journalists, Somalia, where 18 media workers were killed.

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One thousand two hundred and seventy three: the number of journalists killed since INSI began

December 7, 2012 Leave a comment

By Rodney Pinder

Protesters shout slogans during a rally at Quezon city, the Philippines, in 2006, to protest spate of killings of left-wing activists and journalists in the country. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Protesters shout slogans during a rally at Quezon city, the Philippines, in 2006, to protest spate of killings of left-wing activists and journalists in the country. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

One thousand two hundred and seventy-three – that’s the number of journalists and support staff who have died trying to cover the story since we set up INSI in 2003.

That’s the number that was foremost in mind when I retired last month after a decade as Director, and one of the founders, of the International News Safety Institute.

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International News Safety Institute update: August 2012

August 24, 2012 Leave a comment

INSI Director Rodney Pinder  (centre) addressed journalism students at the University of Sheffield on safety issues affecting journalists

• INSI has recorded the deaths of 86 journalists and media staff so far this year, with a further 31 cases under investigation.

The relentless clashes in war-torn Syria make it the deadliest country for journalists and media workers – at least 22 news media casualties have been recorded in 2012. Many more have been injured, detained and threatened. The death toll is more than double that of the entire war in Libya last year.

This week Mika Yamamoto, an award-winning journalist for The Japan Press, was gunned down while travelling with the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo. She is the first Japanese national to be killed in the 17 month conflict, and the first Japanese female correspondent killed in conflict since INSI began keeping records 10 years ago.

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A global information network, an adviser to the news industry, free safety training and more…

August 14, 2012 1 Comment

INSI helped pass UN Resolution 1738 on the safety of journalists in conflict

Since 2003 the International News Safety Institute has been working to help journalists covering conflict and other danger.  We’ve recently updated the main website to showcase some of our achievements. From providing safety training free of charge to thousands of journalists in hotspots around the world, to helping secure the passage of UN Resolution 1738, INSI is continuously working to ensure that journalists survive the story.

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REPORT: Arab Spring fuels bleak winter for news media in 2012

August 8, 2012 Leave a comment

The International News Safety Institute’s latest ‘Killing the Messenger’ report for January – June 2012 shows that:

‘Killing the Messenger’ is INSI’s biannual survey of news media casualties carried out by the Cardiff School of Journalism.

  • At least 70 journalists and support staff killed covering the news in first half of 2012
  • Most dangerous country for journalists is Syria
  • Nigeria, Brazil, Somalia and Indonesia second, third, fourth and fifth most dangerous countries for journalists
  • Impunity for the murder of  a journalist remains at 90 per cent

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Interview: Documentary filmmaker Eric Matthies on the deadly cost of news

May 30, 2012 2 Comments

“The driving force behind the project is to call attention to the impunity journalists face… That’s a story that needs to be told.”

By Helena Williams

Journalists protest against rising violence in Mexico, 2010 (Flickr/Knight Foundation)

Eric Matthies does not consider himself a journalist. But he believes that the dangerous and often life-threatening work of journalists is a story that needs to be told.

A documentary filmmaker who’s worked for Hollywood projects, his latest venture, ‘Killing the Messenger‘ is a far cry from recent films he has worked on with his wife Tricia Todd – such as a documentary about a 74-year-old blues musician and a film about bicycles as a sustainable mode of transport in Africa.

“I would never claim to be a journalist because I think that would diminish the work that true journalists are doing, but I certainly have a great respect for what they’re doing,” he says.

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I-Witness: Safety concerns in the age of citizen journalism

May 28, 2012 1 Comment

By Eric Matthies

Eric Matthies: It is increasingly important that the major news outlets consider the safety of their fledgling citizen reporters (Eric Matthies)

There is no question that publicly generated journalism has proliferated dramatically over the past few years. Citizens of the world have increasingly gained access to technologies like mobile phones, smart devices, social media accounts and digital publishing. The use of these tools to get news and information out of oppressive, hostile environments is often hailed as heroic, patriotic and democratic when seen by Western audiences. When foreign blogger and cell phone video reporters are censored there is outcry. Why then do those same Western audiences seem to accept the oppression and censorship of civilian journalism when it happens in our own cities?

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