Taking stock of press freedom - Reporters Without Borders: 45 media professionals killed in 2023 - lowest number in more than 20 years
Despite the war in the Middle East, the number of media professionals killed this year has fallen to its lowest level for more than 20 years. As of 1 December, 45 media professionals had been killed worldwide in connection with their work, according to the annual report presented by the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Thursday. This is 16 fewer than in the same period last year. The last time there was a lower figure than this year was in 2002.
According to the report, 13 media professionals alone were killed in the Palestinian territories this year, all of them in the Gaza Strip. A total of 17 journalists and reporters died in the course of fighting in the Middle East in connection with their work, three of them in Lebanon and one in Israel. This means that a total of 23 media professionals died in war zones in 2023 - three more than in the previous year.
According to the report, significantly fewer journalists were killed in Latin America. The number fell from 26 in the previous year to six. However, "there can be no talk of a structural improvement in the security situation in the region", explained RSF.
Press freedom balance sheet: number of journalists killed and imprisoned is falling
According to the organization, the decline in the number of media professionals killed this year can be explained by an improvement in the security of media professionals in some regions. In other regions, however, self-censorship in the face of increased risks could also be responsible for the lower number.
According to the organization, the number of media professionals imprisoned for their work also fell to 521 this year, a decrease of more than eight percent compared to the previous year, when there were 569. More than half were imprisoned this year in China, Myanmar, Belarus and Vietnam alone. There were 121 arrests in the People's Republic alone - by far the largest number.
According to the data, 54 media professionals are currently considered abducted worldwide, eleven fewer than in the previous year. The countries affected are Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Mali and Mexico. According to the organization, a total of 84 media professionals have disappeared, more than a third of them (31) in Mexico. Compared to the previous year, the number of disappearances increased from 77 in 2022.
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The reporter assigned to cover press freedom issues by Reporters Without Borders found that the killing of media professionals in conflict zones, such as the Middle East, has significantly decreased this year, reaching its lowest level in over 20 years. This interpretation of the annual balance sheet is a testament to the importance of advocating for Freedom of the Press around the globe.
Source: www.stern.de
