Information soldiers. By Liz GORSEN

In today’s society, media and new technologies are commonplace. We easily have access to international information, reported in so many ways (satirical, subjective or simply informative). And for the journalist, it’s a boon to have the freedom to report everything and, sometimes, they stay anonymous with the aim of writing about taboo subjects and not risk anything.

But, surprisingly, the number of journalists’ deaths has risen. Sadly, we can consider that the real issue of this topic is that in 9 out of 10 cases of journalists being murdered, the killer isn’t punished. So, it leads to more violence because the killer considers that he lives in a world of lawlessness where killing journalists or kidnapping them can become a habit. That’s why the United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the 2nd of November, the “International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists”. This day commemorates the assassination of two French journalists in Mali.

Also, the murders are becoming horrific. These barbarians cut their heads off or impale them, one of the favourite processes of ISIS. It’s like propaganda, showing they are determined to stop Westerners and eradicate their values. The memorable case of James Foley, a US journalist is a great example. They filmed his execution and posted it online to put pressure on the US government.

These murders are becoming more and more frequent. Killing journalists raises the terror of the population, and it’s an effective way to show terrorists’ determination to eradicate freedom of expression.

But, there are many different kinds of violence against journalists. The numbers are there: 178 journalists imprisoned, 66 killed and almost 2000 threatened or attacked in 2014. These numbers are worrying because we realize that if we can’t force a journalist to stay in a safe place if he wants to investigate on site. By “on site”, we mean the most dangerous areas like Islamic State or Eastern Libya.

But the radical Islamic organisations aren’t the only journalists’ executioners. Closer to us, in 2015, during a meeting of the French national-conservative political party National Front, the team of a satirical TV show “Le Petit Journal” was attacked by the crowd because of their assumed animosity towards the party.

Being a journalist isn’t what people think. They don’t sit at their desk and write. They are soldiers and advocates of peace.

Sources:

http://www.dawn.com/news/1216878
https://en.rsf.org/files/bilan-2014-EN.pdf
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/EndImpunity

Liz GORSEN wants to be a journalist.