Journalism is widely regarded as an essential part of a functioning democracy – exposing wrongdoing, helping protect human rights and advancing sustainable development goals. Yet in many countries it remains a dangerous profession.
What Is Journalism?
Journalism is usually defined as the collection and distribution of news. A journalist may be a writer, investigator or even a videographer.
What Are the Dangers?
Many journalists face a number of threats, including but not limited to verbal and physical assault, wrongful imprisonment, torture and even murder. This is particularly the case for those covering dangerous events, working on undercover investigations and those working in war zones and countries where press freedom is very limited/under threat.
Some journalists also face censorship, intimidation and pressure to reveal their sources.
In Which Countries Is It Most Dangerous?
Some countries are far more dangerous than others when it comes to journalists. Recent global events have also impacted on this.
Research from the International Federation of Journalists put the number of journalists killed in Palestine at 55, with the total number worldwide being 104. Additionally, at least 75 Palestinian journalists have been imprisoned since Oct 2023, almost 50 have been injured and several are still missing.
Other countries with multiple fatalities include Lebanon, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Mexico. It is likely that these numbers are underestimated due to the difficulty of obtaining data in many of these countries.
Interested in Journalism Courses?
Despite the potential dangers, journalism is still an attractive career for those with good writing and investigative skills. If this sounds like you, there are a number of specialist organisations such as https://schoolofjournalism.co.uk/ that offer journalism courses such as the NCTJ-accredited BA in Multimedia Journalism.
United Nations Intervention/Programmes
The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity was approved by the UN Chief Executives Board in 2012. This plan has continued to evolve in the years since with input from numerous organisations and is constantly refreshed so that new challenges are identified and new strategies are put in place.