According to a new poll
The number of imprisoned journalists is increasing around the world
A woman lights a candle during a protest to demand justice for the murder of Mexican journalist Jacinto Romero Flores in Mexico.
AFP
The number of journalists behind bars worldwide reached a new high in 2021, according to a study saying that 293 journalists were imprisoned as of December 1, 2021.
The nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday in its annual press freedom survey that at least 24 journalists have been killed because of their reporting, and another 18 have been killed because of targeting from some quarters.
The number of prisoners increased by 15 compared to 2020.
While the reasons for imprisoning journalists vary from country to country, it is believed to be due to political turmoil around the world and growing intolerance of independent reporting, according to the US-based non-profit organization.
"This is the sixth year in a row that CPJ has documented record numbers of imprisoned journalists around the world," CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said in a statement.
"The number reflects that governments are determined to control and manage information, and are more aggressive in their efforts to do so," he adds.
Police in the Philippines said a journalist was killed in an attack while watching television in a supermarket in the central city of Calbayog on Wednesday.
Jesus Malabanan, 58, the Manila Standard's regional correspondent, died while being taken to hospital after being shot in the head by two men on motorbikes.
Other journalists killed in 2021 include Danish Siddiqui, a Reuters cameraman killed in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan in July, and Mexican radio journalist Jacinto Romero Flores, who was shot dead in Veracruz in August.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Mexico - where journalists are often targeted when their work upsets criminal gangs or corrupt officials - remains the deadliest country for reporters in the Western Hemisphere.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news