Sayeed Muhammad
At least 65 journalists and media workers have been killed across the world so far this year, says an estimate prepared by the Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), also known as Reporters Without Borders.The latest figure pushes up the total number of journalists killed in connection with their work since 2005 to 926.Among them were 50 professional reporters, the lowest toll in 14 years, reports AFP. Journalists giving up working in the world’s deadliest spots caused the downward trend, RSF revealed yesterday.Based in Paris, the RSF is an international non-profit and non-government organisation promoting and defending freedom of the press worldwide.War-ravaged Syria tops the list of most dangerous countries for journalists, with highest 12 deaths, followed by Mexico where 11 reporters were killed.RSF in its findings said Mexico was the deadliest country not at war, saying those who “cover political corruption or organised crime are often systemically targeted, threatened and gunned down.”The global figure stood at 74 in 2016, with 110 subjected to death in the previous year.Meanwhile, the International News Safety Institute (INSI) claimed that some 68 newsmen and mass media workers were killed worldwide in 2017.Of them, nine were women. Last year, 112 journalists, including three females, were killed, compared to 10 women among 101 journalists assassinated a year ago.