More than 600 journalists have died worldwide from Covid-19, according to a Swiss NGO.

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Graeme Sloan / Sipa USA / SIPA

High exposure to the virus.

More than 600 journalists have died around the world due to Covid-19, the Swiss organization Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) alerted this week, which calls for employees in the media sector to receive priority vaccination.

The organization, based in Geneva and founded in June 2004 by a group of journalists from several countries, specifies, however, that it is not possible to differentiate the journalists who are infected at work from those who have been infected in their life. private.

Peru, the most bereaved country

“Because of their profession, journalists who go into the field to inform are indeed particularly exposed to the virus.

Some of them, especially freelancers and photographers, cannot only work from home, ”PEC General Secretary Blaise Lempen said in a statement.

Also, the organization asks that journalists be treated as front-line workers and benefit from priority vaccination, at their request.

According to statistics from this NGO, 602 journalists have died from Covid-19 since March 2020: Latin America leads with more than half of the victims (303 deaths), Asia follows with 145 deaths, ahead of Europe (94), North America (32) and Africa (28).

Peru is the country with the heaviest record (93 according to the Peruvian National Association of Journalists).

Brazil is in second place with 55 victims, ahead of India (53), Mexico (45), Ecuador (42) and Bangladesh (41).

In the United States, 31 victims of Covid-19 have been counted in the media world, according to the NGO.

Italy is the most bereaved European country with 37 journalists dead from the new coronavirus.

In France, five deaths from Covid-19 have been announced, according to the press release.

Probably higher numbers

The real number of victims in the world is certainly higher, according to the PEC, because the cause of the deaths of journalists is sometimes not specified or their death not announced.

And in some countries, there is no reliable information.

The PEC tally is based on information from local media, national associations of journalists and the organization's regional correspondents.

The PEC, whose secretary general is a former journalist for the Swiss news agency ATS, is campaigning for better protection of journalists in conflict and crisis areas.

This organization has, like many other NGOs whose work program is directly linked to the goals and objectives of the United Nations, a "special consultative status with the United Nations", allowing it to speak during certain debates in the United Nations. UN Human Rights Council.

This organization counts each year the number of journalists killed in the world.

Since the start of the pandemic, it has also counted those who have died due to Covid-19, and supports requests for financial assistance when necessary for the families of journalists who have died from the coronavirus.

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