RP 5th Most Dangerous Country for Journalists in 2008 - Group

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines has been judged as the fifth most dangerous country for journalists in the world, according to a report by Press Emblem Campaign (PEC).

This, as PEC reported that 95 journalists in 32 countries were killed in 2008, once again highlighting the problem in the security of media practitioners while performing their jobs.

PEC said the Philippines is among the countries where concerns about the safety of media practitioners has deteriorated for 2008.

“Then comes Philippines (fifth place), with six journalists killed (as opposed to four last year), particularly because of the conflict on the island of Mindanao,” PEC said in a statement Monday.

The 2008 Press Emblem Campaign report said this year’s number is lower than the record 115 journalists killed last year. It said the 17.5-percent drop is due solely to an improvement in security in Iraq.

“The number of journalists killed in Iraq has greatly declined, owing to the relative improvement in security in this country. Unfortunately, the situation has deteriorated in other countries, a disturbing development,” said PEC general secretary Blaise Lempen.

Among the countries with rampant media killings in 2008 are Mexico, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Russia, Georgia and Croatia.

The PEC report also said that on the average, nearly two journalists were killed every week for the past three years – 96 in 2006; 115 in 2007; and 95 in 2008. Many others were injured, kidnapped, threatened, imprisoned or unable to express themselves freely.

“The security of media employees has become an overall problem,” PEC president Hedayat Abdel Nabi admitted. “Sixty years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the violations of press freedom are widespread in several regions of the world.”

Iraq has remained in 2008 the most dangerous country, with 15 deaths since January, significantly lower than the 50 journalists killed in 2007 and the 48 killed in 2006. Since the beginning of the war in March 2003, at least 265 journalists have perished in this country. - GMANews.TV

The following is a documentary video about the state of journalism in the Philippines.

Philippine Journalists Documentary..Comment Pls. - More free videos are here