Journalists worldwide: nearly 50 percent more deaths in 2022

The year 2022 was particularly deadly for members of the press. At least 67 journalists and media workers lost their lives. This is the highest figure since 2018 and represents an increase of almost 50 percent compared to 2021, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). This is due to a large number of deaths among journalists covering the Ukraine war. According to CPJ, at least 41 journalists and media workers were killed in direct connection with their work. The causes of the killings of 26 others are under investigation.

Many perpetrators go unpunished

More than half of the 67 killings occurred in just three countries. There were 15 deaths in Ukraine, 13 in Mexico, and seven in Haiti. This is the highest number CPJ has ever recorded in these countries. In Mexico and Haiti, journalists were the targets of brutal killings because of their work. However, the majority of the perpetrators were never brought to justice. Mexico continues to top CPJ's "Global Impunity Index," which lists countries where the killers of journalists go unpunished.

CPJ tracks three types of deaths among journalists related to their work: targeted killings in retaliation for their reporting are the most common. These are followed by deaths during combat operations or as a result of crossfire, and deaths during other dangerous assignments. CPJ also monitors killings of people who work as media handlers, such as translators, drivers, and security personnel. Last year, one such death occurred in Kazakhstan.

Ukraine particularly dangerous

Journalists covering Ukraine are at enormous risk. At least 15 journalists were killed in 2022. Most died at the beginning of the war. There have been no other deaths since the death of French cameraman Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff late in May. In 2022, 30 journalists were killed in Latin America. They were covering crime, corruption, gang violence and the environment.

At least twelve journalists were killed in a direct connection with their work. In Mexico, CPJ 2022 recorded three deaths of journalists in connection with their job. The causes of ten more deaths are currently under investigation. Thirteen deaths is the highest number reported since records began in 1992, the organization says.

In Haiti, triggered by the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, journalists covering gang violence, the political crisis, and domestic unrest experienced an alarming increase in violent attacks. In 2022, at least five journalists were killed in connection with their work. The causes of two other deaths are under investigation.

In two of these cases, the journalists were killed by the police. In its report, the Committee to Protect Journalists points out that while Mexico alone has several laws and bodies that deal specifically with the protection of journalists, they have proven ineffective in other countries as well. However, they have proven ineffective in other countries as well.

Source: Press release