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Fewer Journalists Killed In 2008, Rights Group Says


A poster reading "Stop Killing Journalists" and bearing photographs of media personnel killed in the line of duty is posted on a Baghdad wall in June.
A poster reading "Stop Killing Journalists" and bearing photographs of media personnel killed in the line of duty is posted on a Baghdad wall in June.
Fewer journalists were killed this year doing their jobs than in 2007 due to a big fall in the number of deaths in Iraq, a media watchdog has said.

Sixty journalists around the world died in 2008, down from 86 in 2007, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in an annual report, adding that the decline in fatalities did not signal an improvement in global press freedom.

"The figures may be lower than last year's, but this should not mask the fact that intimidation and censorship have become more widespread, including in the West," the RSF report said.

Iraq remained the deadliest country for reporters with 15 deaths over the past 12 months, but that was down significantly from 47 in 2007 and 46 in 2006.

Read the full report by Reuters here.

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"Watchdog" is a blog with a singular mission -- to monitor the latest developments concerning human rights, civil society, and press freedom. We'll pay particular attention to reports concerning countries in RFE/RL's broadcast region.

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