“Give higher priority to journalists’ safety”

Dismayed by the attacks on journalists across the world and the impunity surrounding the violence against the media, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) on Sunday made out a case for governments, international institutions and the media industry to give higher priority to journalists’ safety.

In a resolution adopted during the 67th World News Media Congress, 22nd World Editors Forum and 25th World Advertising Forum in Washington D.C., the WAN-IFRA Board noted that at least 1,127 journalists had been killed in the line of duty since 1992.

Of these, over 50 per cent were print journalists and in the vast majority of cases, those killed were local journalists.

In more than 90 per cent of the cases, no one was brought to book, the Board pointed out in its resolution.