Ethics Newsline®

From the Committee to Protect Journalists:

“The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) today released its annual survey, ‘Attacks on the Press in 2002.’…

“According to CPJ, the number of journalists behind bars rose sharply in 2002, while heightened awareness of journalist safety and a decline in the number of global conflicts last year contributed to a decrease in the number of journalists killed for their work.

“‘Attacks on the Press in 2002′ documents some 500 cases of media repression in 120 countries, including assassination, assault, imprisonment, censorship, and legal harassment. In documenting these attacks, CPJ’s report notes several trends:

“For the second year in a row, the number of journalists in prison rose sharply. There were 136 journalists in jail at the end of 2002, a 15 percent increase from 2001 and a shocking 68 percent increase since the end of 2000, when only 81 journalists were imprisoned. China, already the world’s leading jailer of journalists for the fourth year in a row, arrested five more, ending the year with a total of 39 journalists behind bars. In Eritrea, 18 journalists languish behind bars, and 16 journalists were incarcerated in Nepal.

“A total of 20 journalists were killed worldwide as a direct result of their work in 2002, a sharp decrease from 2001 when 37 were killed…. It is the lowest number of journalists killed in the line of duty since CPJ began tracking the deaths in 1985. Most of the journalists killed in 2002 were not covering conflicts but were instead murdered in direct reprisal for their reporting on sensitive topics, including official crime and corruption in countries such as Colombia, the Philippines, Russia, and Pakistan.

“Government officials invoked ‘national security’ concerns to impose new restrictions on the press and limit access to certain conflicts….

“Although the number of journalists behind bars rose in 2002, there were some positive trends in press freedom worldwide…. Three Palestinian journalists detained without charge during the Israeli military’s April 2002 offensive in the West Bank were released after intensive lobbying by CPJ staff and board members. After CPJ traveled to Vladivostok, Russia, to pressure authorities to free imprisoned journalist Grigory Pasko, he was released early this year before completing his full term….”