The News
A total of 67 reporters and media workers were killed in 2022, making it the deadliest year for reporters since 2018, according to a new report from the Committee to Protect Journalists released Tuesday.
Here are the takeaways:
- There was a nearly 50% increase in journalists killed compared to 2021.
- More than half of the killings were concentrated in 3 countries: Ukraine, Mexico, and Haiti.
- 13 journalists were killed in Mexico, the highest yearly number recorded by CPJ.
- 15 journalists were killed in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion began.
- Haiti had 7 confirmed killings — also the highest on record for the country.
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The committee reports that 41 of the 67 journalists were killed in direct connection with their reporting work, while CPJ is investigating the motives for the rest.
The rise in journalists’ deaths was driven partly by reporters killed in the early stages of the war in Ukraine, but the report did not explicitly state if they were directly targeted by Russian forces. Several other reporters and media personnel have also been severely injured while covering the war.
Mexico continues to rank as the the number one country outside the Middle East where perpetrators who kill reporters get away with murder.
Latin America remains the deadliest region for reporters working outside a war zone with 30 journalists killed in 2022. The report indicates that the majority of journalists killed there were working on stories related to political corruption, organized crime, or environmental issues.
The one journalist killed in the United States last year was Jeff German, an investigative reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, who authorities allege was fatally stabbed by Robert Telles, a former county official who lost a reelection bid after German reported on his office’s hostile work environment.
Telles is now facing murder charges.