Journalists being killed, kidnapped to suppress truth: report

In many countries around the world, journalists have lost their status as observers and now come under direct attack.

London

: Journalists are being threatened with kidnapping, murders, financial pressure and defamation legislation to prevent them from publishing the truth, according to a new report.

Physical violence is not the only method being used to stop news being published, said Rachael Jolley, editor of the report published in the Index on Censorship magazine in the UK.

\"In many countries around the world, journalists have lost their status as observers and now come under direct attack,\" she said.

Kidnapping, murders, financial pressure and defamation legislation are being used to suppress journalists from reporting the truth.

There is an increasing trend to label journalists as \"extremists\" or \"terrorists\" so governments can crackdown on reporting they do not like, the report said.

According to Index's Mapping Media Freedom project, which tracks attacks on journalists in more than 40 countries, 35 incidents were reported where journalists were being linked to \"extremism\" to restrict reporting, 11 in Russia and others in Belgium, Hungary, France and Spain. Veteran journalists say certain countries including Syria are becoming almost impossible to cover.

Citizen journalists in Syria say they are under enormous pressure to stop reporting but feel a responsibility to carry on despite the risks, particularly since so few international journalists are left in Syria, the report said.

\"All we can do is persevere, coping with the fear and the risks,\" one journalist told Index.

\"In Iraq providing safety training is not only necessary, it is a duty for international originations who care about journalists and activists in dangerous zones,\" said Laura Silvia Battaglia, who trains journalists in Iraq.

\"Local journalism is vital if the Iraqi people are to know what is happening in their country, and to do that journalists need to continue to protect themselves,\" said Battaglia.