Media watchdog: Number of journalists killed up 244 percent over 5 years

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The number of reporters killed while doing their jobs has risen 244 percent over the past five years, due in large part to the Iraq war, Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday. More than half of the 86 journalists killed worldwide last year died in Iraq, the Paris-based media watchdog said. In 2002, by comparison, 25 journalists were killed worldwide, and the number has risen steadily since, it said. "No country has ever seen more journalists killed than Iraq," it said. At least 207 media workers have died in the country since the March 2003 US invasion, the group said. Other deadly countries for journalists in 2007 included Somalia, with 8 journalists killed; Pakistan, with 6 deaths; and Sri Lanka, with three.