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In the line of fire

For the people who bring the news to our living rooms, 2012 was the most dangerous since 1995, writes Dick Skellington.

cartoon by Gary Edwards
May 3 was World Press Freedom Day, a day that went largely unnoticed in Britain. The day was a conduit for raising public awareness of the risks journalists and photographers take every day to bring the news to our televisions and media outlets.

Since 1995, when Reporters Without Borders first began collecting casualty rates among media personnel in war and conflict zones, the rate has been increasing. Last year was the most dangerous yet as the civil war in Syria took its toll. 

In total 90 journalists were killed, 6 media assistants, and 48 citizen journalists lost their lives. The total of 90 dead journalists was the highest for any year since 2002*. This total included 18 killed in Syria, 18 in Somalia, 10 in Pakistan, and 6 in Mexico.

2013 shows continues of the bleak trend. By the end of May, 23 journalists had been killed and 9 citizen-web journalists have lost their lives. A further 175 journalists and 162 citizen web-journalists had been imprisoned. Most of the victims were in Syria and Pakistan. It included the legendary French journalist Maria Colvin who was killed in Homs.

Since 2002, over 700 journalists have died in world conflict zones, according to Reporters Without Borders. I believe it is important we reflect on these chilling statistics every day we read a newspaper or watch the news.
Dick Skellington 5 June 2013

The views expressed in this post, as in all posts on Society Matters, are the views of the author, not The Open University.

 

*Note: Journalists killed only includes cases where Reporters Without Borders has clearly established that the victim was killed because of his/ her activities as a journalist.
 

Cartoon by Gary Edwards

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TweetFor the people who bring the news to our living rooms, 2012 was the most dangerous since 1995, writes Dick Skellington. May 3 was World Press Freedom Day, a day that went largely unnoticed in Britain. The day was a conduit for raising public awareness of the risks journalists and photographers take every day to bring the news to our televisions and media outlets. Since ...

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Cartoon of Dick Skellington

About Society Matters

Provocative, relevant, current: for the last decade Society Matters magazine has been informing, engaging and annoying social sciences students in equal measure.  Now, its move online has given us the chance to bring its lively mix of analysis and opinion to a wider audience.

Society Matters online started in October 2010 and has, so far, covered a wide range of issues and topics ranging from inequality and the big society to arms sales and foreign policy. All can be seen by scrolling down from the top of the Society Matters front page.

We have also illustrated many of these posts with the work of our two illustrators (see below). Serious analyses have been interspersed with posts on a less weighty issues which show both human folly and innovation.

Society Matters continues to be edited by its original creator, Dick Skellington. Dick, pictured above, was previously a programme manager in the social sciences faculty, walks the talk through an active involvement in the affairs of his home town of Stony Stratford, Bucks, and finds light relief through writing poetry and the occasional stage appearance in local productions.

Since many years at the coalface of journalism have taught us all that sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words Dick is aided and abetted by resident illustrators, Gary Edwards and Catherine Pain – both former OU students.

Catherine has drawn and painted all her life, and when she is not pillorying public figures for Society Matters paints animal portraits, works in stained glass and produces alphabet teaching posters for children. Her work is in several galleries in and around her current home in Cambridgeshire and her publications include an illustrated cookbook sold on behalf of the National Trust, a colouring book for small children, Alphabet for Colouring, and The Lost Children, a story for older children. Her website is at catherinepain.co.uk

Gary has written two best-selling books about his travels all over the world watching Leeds United FC, Paint it White  and Leeds United - The Second Coat. His third title No Glossing Over  will be published by Mainstream in September 2011. He has not missed a Leeds game anywhere in the world since February 1968 and married his wife Lesley at Elland Road.

Specialising in wall murals, Gary also holds diplomas from the London Art College, The Morris College of Journalism, has a Diploma in Freelance Cartooning and Illustration and is a contributing cartoonist for Speakeasy, an English-speaking magazine in Paris. During the 1970's and 1980's he collected  hearses and is a long time member of the Official Flat Earth Society as well as the Clay Pigeon Preservation Society.

Please note: The opinions expressed in Society Matters posts are those of the individual authors, and do not represent the views of The Open University.