Recent attacks targeting journalists worldwide raise safety concerns among public

Multiple instances of imprisonment, violence and murder against journalists have transpired globally since the beginning of 2022, leaving current reporters worried about what they may face while covering controversial stories. Unsplash

Trigger warning: murder, violence, shootings

Several journalists around the world have faced recent violent attacks since the beginning of 2022 that have led to their deaths, making many others in the industry concerned for their own well-being.

Journalists have always faced violence and intimidation from others for exercising their right to freedom of expression. However, in the last four months alone, an influx of attacks against journalists have surfaced, ranging from torture to kidnappings to murder, which have alarmed both reporters and the public alike.

“I think journalists will be targeted for (violence), because there are people who don’t want their dirt to be dug up or the bad things to come to light,” said Marjorie Stemmler, a sophomore English major in the journalism program. “I do sometimes worry about the repercussions that come with being a journalist, because even less serious cases could end with me being someone else’s target, and that could be really scary.”

Eight journalists from Mexico have been murdered so far in the year 2022 alone — a large increase compared to the nine who had been killed throughout the entirety of last year. Armando Linares, the eighth journalist to be murdered in the country this year, was repeatedly shot at least eight times March 15 outside of his home in the city of Zitácuro. 

This continuous murder spree in Mexico has sparked an outcry in both the journalism industry and across international waters as public figures strive to prevent the occurrence of future attacks.

Members of the European Parliament (MEP) condemned the recent murders for contributing to an atmosphere of fear and unrest toward all journalists and media workers. MEP continued on with their statement by passing a resolution against Mexico’s current president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, urging him to tone down his own attacks on the media and help prevent further murders in the country instead.

Lopez Obrador has also received criticism due to increasing femicides in the nation — or, the murder of women and girls. Females in the nation protested throughout March 2022 for the third consecutive year, speaking out against the disproportionate violence toward women over men in Mexico. 

“Journalists have always been targets — whether it’s because of what they report or because they’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Chapman News professor Bret Marcus, who worked as an executive producer and news director at ABC News and NBC News. “War reporting is especially dangerous, but journalists who want the best scoops, the best interviews and the best pictures won’t let any of those risks stop them from obtaining what they want.”

Journalists have continued to cover and report controversial issues, including protests, wars and politics in order to inform the public, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. In contemporary news, journalists have faced several instances of hostility where they’ve been arrested off the sides of streets just for watching a protest or been shot by objectors right outside of their own homes.

Most recently, an Al Jazeera network journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, was killed May 11 by Israeli forces, while covering an Israeli military raid that occurred in the West Bank. Akleh’s death has sparked new scrutiny of Israel’s military justice system and has caused further conflict between the army and the journalism and media industry.

Along with Akleh’s death, fatal attacks against journalists have also begun to spike in Ukraine this year, where over 12 have already been pronounced dead. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the reporters had been killed while attempting to uncover more information regarding the current war between Russia and Ukraine. 

“These unnerving situations occurring around the world make me realize that — now, more than ever — when the freedom and independence of the press is under attack is when the profession is most needed,” said Ben Sherman, a freshman broadcast journalism and documentary major. “A strong and free press keeps the world moving forward.”

In Orange County alone, two photojournalists had been arrested in early April at a Kurt Reinhold protest in San Clemente for taking pictures of the event and the people in attendance. Both of the journalists who were arrested, Juan Gomez and Jessica Rogers, argued they had been targeted by the police specifically for being members of the press.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department also claimed to have been criminally investigating an LA Times journalist, named Alene Tchekmedyian, for publishing information from the department’s confidential leaked security footage in late April. Sheriff Alex Villanueva and his department have decided to not press charges against Tchekmedyian.

The various arrests and murders targeting journalists worldwide have stirred up controversy in regards to citizens’ First Amendment rights, which grant freedom of speech and freedom of the press. As a result, media supporters and reporters in the industry are being prompted to work together to gain these rights back.

“Now more than ever, jumping into the world of journalism is a courageous thing and should be applauded,” Sherman said. “People whose priority is to get the truth out to the public are true heroes and should be recognized for their hard work, not ridiculed.”