The United States in 2018 ranks in the top five deadliest countries for journalists, according to a press advocacy group.
Reporters Without Borders’ annual report, released on Wednesday, shows 63 professional journalists were killed worldwide in 2018 — a 15 percent increase from 2017.
Of those deaths, six were from the U.S., and included four journalists killed during a mass shooting in June at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md. Two other journalists were also killed in North Carolina while covering subtropical storm Alberto.
That put America in unenviable territory for journalists killed domestically, in comparable company with Afghanistan, Syria, Mexico, and India. Afghanistan was the deadliest country for journalists, with a total of 15 fatalities in 2018 due to violent attacks.
“The hatred of journalists that is voiced … by unscrupulous politicians, religious leaders, and businessmen has tragic consequences on the ground and has been reflected in this disturbing increase in violations against journalists,” Reporters Without Borders’ Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said in a statement.
The report also found that China, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran detained the most number of journalists in the world this year.
