May 3, 2023
By Sean Disbrow
Staff Writer
May 3 is World Press Freedom Day, and the world has seen a significant increase in journalist deaths, specifically in 2022 with a total of 67 deaths, which is a 50% increase from 2021. 2022 marked the highest number of journalist deaths in one year since 2018.
One of the reasons for the increase is the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. As of April 29, at least 14 journalists were killed covering the war.
Mr. Duus, who teaches Advanced Placement European History, said journalists have been covering the news from Russia and the combat zones of Ukraine.
“Several journalists have been killed in the fighting and sometimes intentionally by Russian forces. At the same time, journalists have their work censored and face imprisonment,” Duus said.
He said the journalists did not expect to be so close to the combat zones.
“The journalists who were killed in their cars at the beginning of the Russia and Ukraine war were [caught offguard] because not a lot of journalists expected to be there,” Duus said.
India has also seen an increase in journalist deaths due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s views on the press.
“Modi has created a state where he doesn’t value freedom of the press, and at the same time, journalists can become a casualty of disorder,” Duus said.
“Journalists go into combat with soldiers in an attempt to get the public the truth about what is actually happening on the battlefield.”
Like Duus, history teacher Mr. Clifford said going into combat zones is a major cause of death among journalists.
“Journalists go into combat with soldiers in an attempt to get the public the truth about what is actually happening on the battlefield,” Clifford said.
He said social media enhances the dangers journalists face.
“Social media allows people greater access to information. Governments and enemies of the free press want to keep certain information from going public and will therefore utilize violence to control the narrative,” Clifford said.
Junior Isabella Guzman said countries with limited freedom of the press struggle the most with journalist deaths.
“Mexico and Russia are two countries I would [expect to] have issues with their press since they have corruption in their countries with their government [in] Russia and issues with cartels [in] Mexico,” Guzman said.
Afghanistan has also seen an increase in journalist deaths due to its abusive government.
“The increase in journalist deaths in Afghanistan is a result of the ongoing violence that is present. They do not want the reality of the horrors of their crimes to be spread globally,” Guzman said.
She said there are steps journalists can take to do their jobs without suffering injury or death.
“Journalists can gather information on what they plan on writing in a safe and protected environment before fully putting themselves in danger or doing their best to escape a dangerous situation before they attempt to [report],” Guzman said. “I understand this is not always achievable, but it would benefit them. They could always be trained for potentially dangerous situations as well as take practical safety measures and precautions.”
