2022 Was Deadly Year for Journalists, Media Workers, Report Says

January 24, 2023 by Dan McCue
2022 Was Deadly Year for Journalists, Media Workers, Report Says
A woman stands in front of a display of destroyed Russian tanks and armoured vehicles in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

NEW YORK – As many as 67 journalists and media workers died violently in 2020, an increase of nearly 50% from 2021, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The New York-based nonprofit attributed the increase to the large number of journalists killed while covering the war in Ukraine and the jump in the number of killings in Latin America. 

“These figures point to a precipitous decline in press freedom, with the highest number of journalist killings since 2018,” said CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg in a written statement that accompanied the release of the report. 

“Covering politics, crime, and corruption can be equally or more deadly than covering a full-scale war. Meanwhile, governments continue to imprison record numbers of journalists and fail to confront the spiraling violence and culture of impunity that have effectively silenced entire communities around the world.”

The committee said it has confirmed that at least 41 journalists and media workers were killed in direct connection with their work, and is investigating the motives for the killings of 26 others to determine whether they were work-related. 

More than half of the 67 killings occurred in just three countries — Ukraine (15), Mexico (13) and Haiti (7).

Latin America was the deadliest region for the press, with 30 journalists killed, accounting for nearly half of the 67 journalists and media workers killed worldwide. Notably, despite countries across Latin America being nominally at peace, the region surpassed the high number of journalists killed in the Ukraine war.

The vast majority of those killed were local journalists covering their own communities.

Across Latin America, journalists covering crime, corruption, gang violence and the environment were found to be most at risk. 

In Mexico, the committee documented a total of 13 journalists killed, the highest-ever number in a single year in that country. 

Alongside the lawlessness and humanitarian emergency in Haiti, the region faces an ever-mounting crisis in journalist killings, leaving news deserts and contributing to insecurity for local communities, the report said.

The committee also found that existing mechanisms to protect journalists’ safety fail to shield the press. State and federal protections and laws that deal specifically with journalist protection continue to prove ineffective in keeping journalists safe.

“Few governments have mechanisms to protect journalists and those that do exist are not living up to their promise,” Ginsberg said in a written statement. “Governments must provide protection, credible investigations, and justice. Failing to do so charts a perilous path toward information black holes and public insecurity.”

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • Committee to PRotect Journalists
  • jodie Ginsberg
  • journalist deaths
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Media

    Fake Images Made to Show Trump With Black Supporters Highlight Concerns Around AI and Elections

    WASHINGTON (AP) — At first glance, images circulating online showing former President Donald Trump surrounded by groups of Black people... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — At first glance, images circulating online showing former President Donald Trump surrounded by groups of Black people smiling and laughing seem nothing out of the ordinary, but a look closer is telling. Odd lighting and too-perfect details provide clues to the fact they... Read More

    March 1, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Television Journalist Cited for Contempt for Defying Subpoena Over Spy Report

    WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Washington, D.C., held veteran journalist Catherine Herridge in contempt of court Thursday for refusing... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Washington, D.C., held veteran journalist Catherine Herridge in contempt of court Thursday for refusing to disclose her sources for Fox News reports about an FBI investigation of a Chinese American scientist. The judge fined Herridge $800 per day until she... Read More

    Florida Lawmakers Prepare for Gov. DeSantis to Veto Social Media Ban on Children Under 16

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lawmakers were bracing for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto a bill banning social media... Read More

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lawmakers were bracing for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto a bill banning social media for children under 16 on Friday and finding a way to make him more comfortable with its language before their session ends next week. DeSantis supports... Read More

    Russian Disinformation Is About Immigration. The Real Aim Is to Undercut Ukraine Aid

    WASHINGTON (AP) — For Vladimir Putin, victory in Ukraine may run through Texas' Rio Grande Valley. In recent weeks, Russian... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — For Vladimir Putin, victory in Ukraine may run through Texas' Rio Grande Valley. In recent weeks, Russian state media and online accounts tied to the Kremlin have spread and amplified misleading and incendiary content about U.S. immigration and border security. The campaign seems... Read More

    Humorously Morose Comedian Richard Lewis, Who Recently Starred on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' Dies at 76

    NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Lewis, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Lewis, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname “The Prince of Pain,” has died. He was 76. Lewis, who revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2023, died... Read More

    It's an Election Year, and Biden's Team Is Signaling More Aggressive Posture Toward the Press

    NEW YORK (AP) — Occupants of the White House have grumbled over news coverage practically since the place was built.... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — Occupants of the White House have grumbled over news coverage practically since the place was built. Now it's Joe Biden's turn: With a reelection campaign underway, there are signs that those behind the president are starting to more aggressively and publicly challenge... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top