John: The committee to protect
journalists says 2022 was one of
the deadliest on record for
journalists around the globe,
with killings increasing by
nearly 50% from the previous
year.
Lisa Desjardins has more on the
increasingly dangerous
environment for journalists
worldwide.
Lisa: Over the past five years,
289 journalists have been killed
worldwide, many in retaliation
for the work they were doing.
Last year, 67 journalists were
killed, the highest number in a
single year since 2018.
More than half of those deaths
happened in just three
countries.
In Ukraine, 15 died covering
Russia's brutal war there.
Mexico and Haiti saw the
sharpest rise in killings.
30 journalists were killed in
Latin America alone.
Nearly half of all journalists
killed last year.
Joining us now to talk about
this is Jody Ginsberg, president
at the committee to protect
journalists.
Jody, the first question is why?
Why do you think we're seeing
this increase in journalists
death and killings?
Jody: There is a couple of
reasons.
As you mentioned, the highest
number of killings was in
Ukraine, as you would expect,
any kind of international
conflict.
But increasingly we're seeing
journalists killed outside of
war Zones.
As you said, maybe half the
deaths that we documented last
year were in the Latin America
region, which is officially not
in any conflict.
And what that's indicative of is
this global political
instability.
We're seeing increased
lawlessness and a decline in
democracy worldwide. There was
one killing of a journalist here
in the United States last year.
Lisa: Can you talk more about
that and more about this
hemisphere, including Mexico and
Haiti?
Jody: Well, in Latin America,
for example, we saw 31 killings
out of the 67 last year.
The majority of those are in
Mexico where we've seen a real
uptick in violence generally.
We see journalists killed for
covering corruption, corruption
particularly in local politics.
Local journalists are incredibly
vulnerable.
They often don't have the
protections afforded to them by
working for a big national media
outlet.
Covering protests can be fatal.
We're seeing more and more
political protests, of course,
as people are discontented from
the global economy and other
issues.
So that's an area of concern in
Haiti.
We've seen effectively a
complete collapse of any
authority.
People are covering gang
warfare.
But it's all part of a bigger
pattern of increased lawlessness
in the region.
Lisa: Of course, killings are
the thing that people pay
attention to.
But also the number of
imprisonments of journalists is
on the rise.
Other forms of harassment,
including online harassment.
Can you talk about why you think
that is on the rise and who is
using that as a tool to try and
stifle journalists?
Jody: It's true.
Last year was a record number
for imprisoned journalists
worldwide, over 350 journalists
imprisoned at the end of
November, December the first,
last year.
In part, that is also because
we're seeing increased use of
legal means to imprison
journalists to prevent them
covering corruption.
When you think about it, it is
the tip of the iceberg, it is
indicative of a broader pattern,
of the client and depressed
freedom.
We see thousands of journalists
harassed, every day and often
that turns into offline real
world violence, physical threats
against journalists.
And that's something we're
seeing more and more.
Lisa: Have you been able to tell
if that is, in fact, stifling
coverage, stifling the ability
of information to get out?
Jody: Absolutely.
I mean, the reason people go
after journalists is because
they want to silence and they
want to stop the story getting
out.
And that's exactly what happens.
It's a deterrent.
It stops other journalists from
reporting on the issue.
And in some areas, we have
essentially complete
information, black holes in
places like Mexico, where people
cannot talk about the violence,
the corruption going on in their
local areas.
And that's incredibly dangerous
for ordinary people who rely on
that kind of information and
that kind of reporting from
journalists.
Lisa: So then this leads back
to, I think, the thread that
you're weaving throughout this,
which is about democracy in
crisis around the world or
threats to democracy.
How do you connect that to
what's happening to the threats
for journalists?
Jody: Well, the way I would
connect it is this you know,
we've simultaneously seen this
decline in democracy, it is
accompanied by an undermining of
democratic norms.
And that includes this idea that
journalists are the enemy, that
that they are something not to
be trusted.
We've seen that repeatedly used
as a refrain by those in power
who, of course, would use that
argument because they don't want
their affairs looked into.
But that narrative,
unfortunately seeps through into
the general population, who
increasingly grow to distrust
journalists, see them as
representatives of one political
side or other.
And so that sort of general
narrative helps to undermine the
credibility of journalism.
And that's what helped
contribute to this increasing
lack of safety for journalists
worldwide.
Lisa: Jodi Ginsburg with the
committee to protect
journalists.
Very sobering and important
work.
Thank you for talking with us.
Jody: Thank you.