Journalists increasingly at risk says UN report

A record 77 journalists were killed last year, making 2009 one of the most dangerous years for media workers, according to a report published Thursday by UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural agency. The organization denounced the slayings, saying that governments need to do more to protect journalists and to bring their killers to justice. The report, prepared by UNESCO's International Program for the Development of Communication (IPDC), says that "impunity" is one of the main problems in attacks against the media, and that this represents a "severe threat" to freedom of expression. The report comes as the IPDC's 39-member intergovernmental council holds a three-day meeting here. On Friday, when the meeting ends, officials are expected to adopt a draft decision recommending that the IPDC "continue monitoring the follow-up of killings condemned by UNESCO's director-general". They will also advise the agency to propose that a one-minute silence be observed in newsrooms around the world on May 3, World Press Freedom Day, "to honor the journalists killed each year".