2018 was a tough year for Journalists.
From the non-stop verbal sparring at the White House to the pipe bombs mailed to News organizations, CNN, and that deadly shooting at a Newspaper in Annapolis Maryland. You can click here to see the TV Story Dominic Carter did on this.
Several Watchdog Groups say the murder of Journalists went up in 2018
Alex Ellerbeck is with one such organizations, the Committee to Protect Journalists, based in New York City and she says the statistics are alarming.
53 journalists were killed for their work worldwide
Retaliation murders of Journalists nearly doubled in 2018 — from 18 in 2017 ,up to 34 in 2018.
Journalists give a testimony to what’s going on around the Globe as Dictators abuse their authority. Ms. Ellerbeck put it this way:
“It’s incredibly chilling and shows what a difficult time, this is for the press. What we’re seen is an uptick in the number of journalists murdered. -Alex Ellerbeck, The Committee to Protect Journalists
The case most people hear about and SHOULD hear about is Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi.
But Six reporters died right here in the United States in 2018 doing their job. It’s June 28th that stands out.
Four journalists were among the five people killed by a gunman who opened fire in the offices of the Maryland newspaper Capital Gazette. Another two died while covering extreme weather.
While President Trump has condemned violence against journalists, his administration yanked the credential of CNN white house reporter Jim Acosta. The committee to protect Journalists even noted in their annual report that the president also has called Journalists “enemies of the people.”
“The rhetoric is deeply deeply troubling. We have been saying this for two years. It’s incredibly dangerous. It’s irresponsible. It’s upsetting that the most frequent use of “enemy of the people” has come seen the shooting at the capital gazette in Annapolis, instead of toning down his rhetoric.” -Alex Ellerbeck, The Committee to Protect Journalists
In October, the President also praised a Montana congressman for body-slamming a reporter.
In 2018, Pipe bombs were mailed to CNN and other media organizations.
In addition, the committee says the imprisonment of journalists is on the rise.
The deadliest country for journalists in 2018 was Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan 13 reporters were killed, some in back-to-back explosions set off by suicide bombers.
Meanwhile according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Sixty journalists also remain held hostage around the world.
Freedom of the Press must be protected.
