India Comes in Fourth Where Most Journalists Were Killed

Last year around one hundred and thirty four journakists and media support staff were killed when they were on reporting assignments and according to the London based International News Safety Institute (INSI) India is the fourth country on the list with the most death rates of journalists. Most of the journalists who were killed were deliberately targeted.

Out the Journalists killed 65 died while covering armed conflicts mainly in Syria where 20 were killed. In Iraq 16 were killed and 51 journalists were killed while covering issues like crime and corruption and 18 had died in accidents. The institute reported that following Syria and Iraq being the most dangerous countries for journalists last year, Philippines followed with 14 deaths, India with 13 deaths and Pakistan with 9 deaths.

The total nunber of deaths have comed down from the 152 deaths recorded in 2012, however there was a rise in assaults, threats and kidnapping directed at journalists which go unreported according to the INSI study titled “Killing the Messenger. “

INSI notes that local journalists were the main victims as 123 of the dead were killed while covering conficts in their own country. Of the 30 reported deaths, 16 had been natives of Syria. The report made bythe Cardiff School of Journalism in Wales for INSI which showed 85 of the journalists whom had died were shot stated that “most journalists were targeted and shooting was the most common cause of death.” According to INSI other journalists died in explosions,  stabbings and beatings, or by strangulation or tortured to death or died in accidents.

The INSI is funded by major world news organizations and has been issuing the reports of the number of journalists who have died since 1996. INSI mainly provides security training for journalists who are reporting in dangerous situations.

Denisha Sahadevan