Carol Forsloff —While many people debate the ethics, policies, and reporting of journalists worldwide, an increasing number are killed or seriously wounded as part of an occupational hazard to report the news.Richard Engel, one of the world's top journalists, was released by his captors, said to be Syrian troops loyal to the government. There has been a news blackout from major networks during the six days he was in captivity, as part of an agreement to protect his safety and allow negotiations and investigations to take place. Engel is known for his high profile stories of Middle East conflicts, most recently his work during the protests in Egypt.
The Committee to Protect Journalists reports 2012 to be the year of the highest number of journalists killed in combat situations since the organization began keeping records in 1992. The organization tells us that murder is the leading cause of journalists' deaths around the world.
In some situations, journalists are captured and held for either ransom or prisoner exchange, as is reported to have been the case with Richard Engel. In other places, they are targeted for reporting on criminal activities involved in the drug wars in places like Mexico. In August, the Huffington Post wrote the Mexican government put the number of Mexican journalists killed by drug cartels at 67 by July of 2012. The article points out the obvious reason, that journalists have the occupational hazard of reporting things people don't want reported.
Some of the stories about the killing of journalists reveal that journalists are often killed in terrifying ways. In May 2012, Reuters reported police finding the body of Marco Antonio Avila, who had been kidnapped by gunmen at a car wash near the town of Ciudad Obregon. He had been tortured before being killed, and a threatening note was left on the body, which police say is typical of drug gangs. Avila had been reporting on drug-related violence in Mexico.
In the United States and other places in the world people the media is criticized for its reporting of troublesome and violent events. Following the recent school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, many people accused the media of sensationalizing the news and presenting wrong information about the identity of the shooter before the authorities had a chance to complete their initial investigations of the killer of the 26 adults and children. So journalists face severe public criticism during times when they are reporting news about violence in sometimes tragic circumstances where information can be difficult to obtain and details confused.
The risks to journalists physically and emotionally continue to increase in combat areas, targeted crime areas and in situations where extreme violence occurs. The hazards remind us that journalism has its heroes and detractors and is therefore not a job for the fearful or the ill informed.
