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Slain Journalists and Threats to Media Freedom

How the murders of journalists in the field pose a major threat to freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

By Anna Vlugt
8–12 minutes

Introduction

If you were to think of a news writer, what would you see? Possibly someone at a dimly lit desk in a library scribbling furiously on paper. What about a reporter? The image of a person standing in front of cameras in a studio located in a New York City skyscraper comes to mind. The words ‘radio broadcaster’ create images of someone with oversized headphones sitting behind a microphone in a recording booth. But these images could not be further from the truth for the 2,232 journalists who were killed because of their work since 1992 (Committee to Protect Journalists, n.d. A.).

The Danger of being a Journalist

Journalism has been deemed as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world (United Nations, n.d.) with one journalist being killed every four days (UNESCO, 2023). These killings are shockingly common, often brutal and remain unsolved 90% of the time. These murders are becoming more common with almost 400 journalists and media workers killed in the last five years alone. Furthermore, more journalists were killed in 2023 than any other year since 1992 (Committee to Protect Journalists, n.d. A.).  One particularly gruesome example is the murder of Haitian radio journalist Garry Tesse in 2022. Tesse was known to be extremely critical of corruption within the Haitian government and Commissioner Ronald Richemond. Before his murder, Richemond attempted to bribe Tesse for his silence, which failed. Richemond then devised a plan to have Tesse killed, however, Tesse was warned of the plot and denounced it on the radio. Despite these warnings, Tesse was unable to escape his gruesome fate. He disappeared on his way to the studio and was found dead six days later covered in burn marks and missing his tongue, eyes, and testicles. This makes Tesse one of 90 journalists who have been tortured and taken captive before their murders since 1992 (Committee to Protect Journalists, n.d. B.).

Iraqi journalist Haidar al-Hussein was murdered in 2008 three days after his abduction. He was taken captive by a political group, the same one that kidnapped and released him when he promised to leave the city of Baqouba a year prior. Al-Hussein returned to Baqouba from Baghdad shortly after that as the government had taken measures to make the former safer. This newfound safety was short-lived as al-Hussein was kidnapped, seemingly tortured and found dead with a bullet wound in his head. The Editor in Chief of the media outlet al-Hussein was employed at stated that this killing was meant to send a message. Al-Hussein was murdered as a warning to show other journalists who wrote in favour of the government what the opposition was capable of (Committee to Protect Journalists, n.d. C.). 

Although the Committee to Protect Journalists has only been collecting data since 1992, journalists have been staring down the barrel of a gun as long as the profession has been around. Take Singrid Schultz for example, one of the first female journalists, who spent a large portion of her career in Berlin on the frontlines of World War II. For anyone, this would be an extremely dangerous position but for Schultz it was not only being in a warzone. She was hiding her Jewish identity. She survived the Second World War, but she could not escape the threats, being tailed by Nazi officials and her mail being intercepted (Mackrell, 2021).

Why are journalists being ‘silenced’? 

When journalists are targeted and murdered, it is often for the same reason: covering corruption in local politics (What’s behind a sharp increase in journalist killings around the world?, 2023). Journalists working for smaller local media outlets (or freelancers) are not always afforded the same protections that journalists at larger international outlets are (i.e. Al Jazeera, BBC, NYT). Most of these murders are happening in places like the Middle East, Latin America, countries at war, or countries where the government has strong control over the media (Committee to Protect Journalists, n.d. A.). Covering political protests, especially in Mexico and Haiti, is one of the most common ways for a journalist to get killed (Committee to Protect Journalists, n.d. A.). When a journalist begins to pose a threat to the government or powerful groups, they are likely to end up being targeted. 

However, murder is not the only way to ‘silence’ journalists and media workers. An Israeli law passed in April of this year allowed the temporary shutdown of foreign media outlets if they were deemed a threat to Israel’s national security. This resulted in the temporary banning of the Qatar-based media outlet Al Jazeera. This was implemented after several of Al Jazeera’s journalists were killed in the crossfire of the current Israel-Palestine War (Al Jazeera, 2024). Although this is not as violent as the threat of murder that many journalists are facing, it is still a prevalent form of silencing journalists.

In many places in the world, journalists are losing their voices. Whether it be through a country banning a network or the killing of a journalist, the security concerns are an ever-present issue. Journalists draw attention to major issues within an organization (often of a political or governmental nature). This poses a major threat to those being covered as they are at risk of the public knowing the internal on-goings, potentially exposing illegal or morally questionable activities (What’s behind a sharp increase in journalist killings around the world?, 2023). When an organization is participating in these kinds of activities, the solution may be threatening the journalists or, if they pose a larger threat, death (Cleveland, 2012). This issue extends past the individual safety of journalists, since it also has major effects on the world of journalism as a whole and human rights (UDHR, 1948).

Growing fears

With such a large number of journalists being murdered, fears are rising within the journalism community. Photojournalist Miriam Abu Dagga lost several colleagues because of the Israel-Palestine War, causing her family to fear for her life. Abu Dagga has also stated that she wants to leave the warzone due to the fact that she is being targeted as a journalist. Mohammad Ahmed, another photojournalist on the frontlines of the Israel-Palestine War, has seen and experienced some of the most gruesome parts of the war. Ahmed was lucky enough to be wearing a protective vest when he was hit but this did not stop a shrapnel from becoming wedged in his thigh. After he was hit and injured, Ahmed tried to call for help, but he found himself surrounded only by corpses. There is a major mental toll on the journalists involved in the war. Ahmed, for example, has stated that the horrors of war are too much to stomach at times; making him stop filming so he can process his emotions (CNN, 2024). There are around 1,300 journalists currently reporting in Gaza (International Federation of Journalists, n.d.) and hundreds of thousands around the rest of the world. Any one of these journalists could be at risk of similar experiences to Ahmed and Abu Dagga. This creates another problem: media freedom is at risk.

Threats to Freedom of Speech and the Press

The preamble of the UDHR as well as Article 19 declare freedom of speech and freedom of the press as fundamental human rights (UDHR, 1948). The UN also declared that under international humanitarian law, the deliberate targeting of journalists is a war crime (United Nations Office of the High Commissioner, 2024). Under the UDHR, journalists are given the right to write about, report on, or broadcast all information including information about war, corrupt governments, and more. Despite these legal protections, journalists are still being targeted. 

The murders of journalists are a major threat to freedom of speech and freedom of the press. As more journalists fear for their lives, they may begin to censor their stories. If this occurs, then freedom of the press will virtually disappear causing several more issues. Government accountability, encouragement of discussions, protection of rights, and enabling the public to make informed decisions all rely on freedom of the press (INBAR Foundation, 2023). 

Freedom of the Press is most prevalent in the Western world and more specifically, Europe. The top ten countries with the highest World Press Freedom rankings are all within Europe (Reporters Without Borders, 2024).  North Korea has the third lowest ranking. Only one news outlet is widely allowed in North Korea, the government-controlled Korean Central News Agency (Reporters Without Borders, n.d.). The vast majority of accessible media in North Korea exists only with the intention of creating a positive image of the government and Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un (BBC, 2011). North Korea has several laws in place to deprive people of their ability to access free media as well. The law on rejecting reactionary ideology and culture prohibits the spread of American, Japanese and South Korean media within the country. Those who do spread media from the aforementioned countries risk the death penalty (Human Rights Watch, 2022). 

Conclusion

The stories from Gaza, Haiti, and North Korea show the dangers journalists are facing in certain parts of the world. While major news outlets offer protections to their journalists, the death toll shows that these are not sufficient. 

“Whoever stays until the end, will tell the story. We did what we could. Remember us.”

– Dr. Mahmoud Abu Nujaila (Doctor and Palestinian Human Rights Defender)

Sources

  1. Al Jazeera. (2024, May 6). Israel bans Al Jazeera: What does it mean and what happens next? Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/6/israel-bans-al-jazeera-what-does-it-mean-and-what-happens-next
  2. Cohn, L. (2012, August 5). Death stalks some reporters worldwide. Cleveland. https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2012/08/death_stalks_some_reporters_wo.html
  3. Committee to Protect Journalists. (n.d.). A. Journalists killed since 1992. CPJ. https://cpj.org/data/killed/all/?status=Killed&type%5B%5D=Journalist&start_year=1992&end_year=2024&group_by=year
  4. Committee to Protect Journalists. (n.d.). B. Garry Tesse. Committee to Protect Journalists. https://cpj.org/data/people/garry-tesse/
  5. Committee to Protect Journalists. (n.d.). C. Haidar Al-Hussein. Committee to Protect Journalists. https://cpj.org/data/people/haidar-al-hussein/
  6. CNN. (2024, May 2). Palestinian journalists face increasing dangers in Gaza amid Israeli conflict. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/02/middleeast/palestinian-journalists-gaza-world-press-freedom-day-intl-cmd/index.html
  7. Human Rights Watch. (2022). North Korea: Country chapter in World Report 2022. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/north-korea
  8. INBAR Foundation. (2023, November). The importance of the freedom of press in a democratic society (Lesson 17). INBAR Foundation. https://www.inbarfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Lesson-17-Reading-The-importance-of-the-freedom-of-press-in-a-democratic-society.pdf
  9. International Federation of Journalists. (n.d.). War in Gaza. IFJ. https://www.ifj.org/war-in-gaza
  10. Mackrell, J. (2021). The correspondents: Six women writers on the front lines of World War II. Doubleday.
  11. What’s behind a sharp increase in journalist killings around the world? (2024, January 29).  PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/whats-behind-a-sharp-increase-in-journalist-killings-around-the-world
  12. Reporters Without Borders. (n.d.). North Korea: Press Freedom Profile. Reporters Without Borders. https://rsf.org/en/country/north-korea
  13. Reporters Without Borders. (2024). World Press Freedom Index 2024. Reporters Without Borders. https://rsf.org/en/index?year=2024
  14. United Nations Office of the High Commissioner. (2024, August 6). Expert denounces killing of journalists in Gaza. United Nations.  https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/08/expert-denounces-killing-two-more-journalists-gaza-and-demands-full
  15. United Nations. (n.d.). Safety of journalists. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/safety-journalists
  16. United Nations. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/2021/03/udhr.pdf
  17. UNESCO. (2023, August 25). Punish crime, not truth: Protecting journalists from violence. UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/punish-crime-not-truth

If you are interested in other sources used in the research process, you can refer to the articles below:

  1. Doctors Without Borders. (2023, October 13). Gaza: MSF doctors killed in strike on Al-Awda Hospital. Doctors Without Borders. https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/gaza-msf-doctors-killed-strike-al-awda-hospital
  2. Front Line Defenders. (n.d.). Mahmoud Abu Nujaila. Front Line Defenders. https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/mahmoud-abu-nujaila
  3. Liberty in North Korea. (n.d.). Challenges in North Korea. Liberty in North Korea. https://libertyinnorthkorea.org/learn-nk-challenges
  4. World Press Institute. (n.d.). Journalism: One of the most dangerous professions in the world. World Press Institute. https://worldpressinstitute.org/journalism-one-of-the-most-dangerous-professions-in-the-world/

While we are transparent about all sources used in this article and double-checked all the given information, we make no claims about its completeness, accuracy or reliability. If you notice a mistake or misleading phrasing, please contact centuria-sa@hhs.nl .

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