Another World Press Freedom Day rolls along on 3 May. Seminars and rallies are to be held, prizes distributed and reports released, all to bemoan the lack of press freedoms and mourn the passing of journalist colleagues. The global spotlight is sought to be turned on what are termed the 'most dangerous places' for journalists – hotspots where the media is at risk when it does it its job well. But what do these figures really tell us?
The numbers of journalists killed in connection with their work vary even among watchdog groups. According to the Paris-based Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF), 60 scribes were killed in 2008, down from 86 in 2007. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), headquartered in New York, puts that figure at 41, down from 65 last year. The reduction in figures is mostly attributed to the changing (improving?) situation in Iraq over the past year. The International Federation of Journalists' (IFJ) figure, meanwhile, stood at 85, 33 of which were from the Asia-Pacific region.
Figures vary with critical definitions, as well, such as that of journalist. Some organisations, like IFJ, include in their accounting media staff and 'fixers', who are essential for international journalists who land up in a particular country to get the story. The line of duty is also interpreted variously, with some including accidental deaths while on the job, and some keeping the focus on journalists deliberately targeted and murdered.
Still, there is a story even behind these statistics. According to IFJ, two journalists were killed in Sri Lanka in 2008, as compared with six in 2007. The press-freedom watchdog points out, however, that the lower toll "does not indicate improved safety and protection". Rather, says the IFJ, "it underscores that far fewer journalists are able to work in war-torn provinces" in the country. What the figures also hide is the reality of a systematic campaign of psychological warfare against the media in Sri Lanka. Indeed, press-freedom activists estimate that there are as many as 42 Sri Lankan journalists in self-exile today, having fled for their lives after receiving explicit threats, and currently are unable to practice their craft.