AP CEO Gary Pruitt has proposed that international law be changed to make killing journalists or taking them hostage a war crime. He said wearing “PRESS” on vests no longer protects journalists but instead makes them targets. Over a 1,000 journalist have died since 1992. Pruitt said terrorist groups don’t want the media around since the groups use the social media to get their message across. (Associated Press, March 30, 2015, by Kevin Chan)
Syria is the most dangerous place for journalists with 17 deaths in 2014 and 79 killled since 2011, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Among the findings in CPJ’s annual report: “Almost half of the journalists killed in 2014 died in the Middle East. Around 38 percent of the total died in combat or crossfire” and “Eight of the countries that saw a journalist murdered during 2014 are listed on CPJ’s 2014 Impunity Index, which spotlights countries where journalists are regularly murdered and the killers go free.” (CPJ, December 23, 2014, by Shazdeh Omari)
The CPJ has urged United Nations agencies to increase its efforts with the onus on local governments. “Efforts by relatives and colleagues, sustained media attention, diplomatic pressure, and litigation have pushed justice forward in rare cases. There are more steps governments can take, including moving trial venues, improving witness protection, reforming judiciaries, and creating independent bodies to scrutinize flawed investigations,” wrote Myroslava Gongadze, CPJ, October 28, 2014.