On this World Press Freedom Day, we only have to look back to the horrors that took place on Monday in Afghanistan to remind ourselves just how dangerous it is to be a reporter.
It was rush hour in Kabul when a bomb blast went off. As all journalists do, they picked up their gear and went to cover the story.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, of which I am an honorary board member, tracks statistics like deaths and imprisonments among journalists. It reports that 24 have been killed already this year, including Ahmed Abu Hussein, a Palestinian photojournalist who was shot by Israeli troops last month as he was covering a protest in Gaza, wearing a vest clearly marked "PRESS". " Protective gear that clearly indicates individuals are members of the press should afford them extra protection -- not make them targets," says Sherif Mansour, CPJ's Middle East Coordinator.
When it comes to imprisonments, the statistics are also shocking. CPJ says a total of 262 reporters were behind bars last year, with plenty of others living under threat of incarceration. CPJ ranks Turkey as the world's worst jailer of journalists, with 73 reporters currently locked up.
