NUJ warns journalists are 'increasingly becoming targets' in war zones
The National Union of journalists expressed its shock today at a video purporting to show the beheading of US journalist James Foley which it described as another sign of the increasingly “dangerous and lethal climate” faced by foreign correspondents in conflict zones.
In a statement Frances Rafferty, the union’s campaigns and communications officer, expressed the organisation's condolences to James Foley's family and friends and called on the international community to “expose the shameful failure of governments to properly investigate and prosecute the killers of journalists and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Figures from the United Nations show that on average two reporters a week are killed while trying to bring news to the public, with 70 journalists killed already this year.
Rafferty said: “It is a simple fact that freedom of the press and free expression are not possible where journalists face extreme violence for doing their job."
Speaking to the Drum the NUJ spokeswoman said that cuts in the budgets of media organisations had led to an increasing “casualisation” of journalism which had led to more reports being sourced from freelance reporters who may have not had the training or advice required in highly dangerous situations.
Rafferty said that news organisations should not be able to “wash their hands” of freelancers saying “ newspapers and broadcasting organisations must have a responsibility in ensuring that the people who work for them are properly briefed and trained in safety measures.”