Journalists Facing Biggest Threats in Recent Times, Advocacy Group Says

The ascendance of militant extremists and criminal gangs who abduct and kill reporters, combined with rising government repression in the cause of counterterrorism, has created the biggest threat to journalism in recent times, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, a press advocacy group. The report, “Attacks on the Press,” said the menace was especially acute for freelancers, or independent journalists, whose resources and training are often limited, and who may have no established news organization to help them when they get into trouble.

“Journalists are being caught in a terror dynamic, in which they are threatened by nonstate actors who target them and governments that restrict civil liberties including press freedom in the name of fighting terror,” said Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. He said the report provided new insights “into the myriad threats -- from surveillance and self-censorship to violence and imprisonment -- that make this the most deadly and dangerous period for journalists in recent history.” The report is a collection of essays by the committee’s staff and regional experts on the challenges facing journalists. Underlying themes include the deadly assaults by extremist militant groups and criminal organizations like drug cartels, as well as the press intimidation and coercion by governments.