Pakistan rated second deadliest for press

[robincrusoe]

Pakistan rated second deadliest for press

PESHAWAR: Pakistan has been rated second in a worldwide press freedom round-up for 2008 where seven journalists were killed as 60 journalists working with different news organisations lost their lives around the globe. "The Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions are still the deadliest for the press. After Iraq (with 15 journalists killed), the two countries with the highest death tolls are Pakistan and the Philippines (six killed)," Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in its 'Press freedom round-up 2008’.

Among the seven journalists killed in Pakistan this year, two were shot dead in Swat, two in Balochistan, one each in Bajaur Agency, Sindh and Punjab provinces. A terrorist organisation claimed responsibility for the murder of Chishti Mujahid, a Quetta-based journalist. The RSF press freedom round-up said figures for 2008 were ‘better despite hostile climate and more Internet repression’ around the world. In 2007, 86 journalists and 20 media assistants were killed and 887 were arrested, 1,511 physically attacked or threatened, 528 media outlets were censored and 67 kidnapped. The 2008 round-up said besides the 60 journalists, one media assistant was also killed, 673 journalists were arrested, 929 physically attacked or threatened, 353 media outlets were censored and 29 journalists kidnapped. "The figures may be lower than last year's but this should not mask the fact that intimidation and censorship have become more widespread," the RSF commented.

The RSF said it only counted cases in which a link between the violation and the victim's work as a journalist was clearly established or was very likely. "The figures do not cover violations which the victims chose not to report (usually for security reasons).” The fall in the number of journalists from traditional media killed or arrested in 2008 does not mean the press freedom situation has improved, the report said.

"As the print and broadcast media evolve and the blogosphere becomes a worldwide phenomenon, predatory activity is increasingly focusing on the Internet." In this respect, the figures speak for themselves. In 2008, someone was for the first time killed while acting as a ‘citizen journalist’. iqbal khattak.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[Patriot]

Well we all know how dangerous Talibans are so no surprise here!

 

[Lockheed F-16]

Our media is guilty,look at GEO TV, they show propaganda

 

[Rajkumar]

TRP bahdane ke liye dod dod kar kahin bhi chale jate hain toh fir kya hoga.
mumbai attack main toh inko muka dete toh yeh commandos se pahle hi ghus jate aur terrorist ka live interview dekhane ki koshish karte

 

[anonymous1]

Indian press certainly should behave in a mature way, they are still coming up. They even disclosed position of police initially in Bombay attack. Times online says that FBI have refused to share information with India they obtained form communication equipments of terrorists, but have confronted Pakistan with it.

 

[Captain03]

pakistan is at war and if journalists go to the warzone wtf are they supposed to expect???
its common sense

 

[must7]

The amount of negative & money traded one sided coverage Pakistani media does on behalf of the West, I am quite surprised that there are such a few deaths.

I am sure these scum of earths should have been hanged at much faster pace !

Majority of Pakistani's hate our media.

On the other side, as somebody correctly mentioned, we are in a war zone .. fatalities do happen. I think the number one would be Iraq .. no wonder Pakistan is second as Iraq & Pakistan are nearly war zone wherein US daily bombings do make the people volatile. However, the question should have been how much of restrictions does Pakistan have on coverage of events ?

 

[Beskar]

The above poster mentioned about how Iraq and Pakistan are a war zone. And that's true. Ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a reporter, reporting something from DEEP within Afghanistan? Kabul, Kandahar, Anything? The country that started it all. Whenever you'll see a report, the reporter would start by saying "We're close to Pakistan's border here, and recently another attack came from Pakistan on the Allies".

My point is, the Journalist crowd hangs around the Pakistani region all the time where our own General public is not allowed to go. Then what the **** are they expecting when they go running around into harms way for the sake of ratings?