World’s Press calls for greater protections for Journalists

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers has called on governments, international institutions and the media industry itself to prioritise journalists’ safety and has denounced the state of impunity that surrounds the murder of journalists in many parts of the world.

A resolution issued by the Board of WAN-IFRA, meeting on the eve of the 67th World News Media Congress, 22nd World Editors Forum and 25th World Advertising Forum in Washington D.C., also called for greater solidarity within the news industry to propose solutions that improve safety and protection for all journalists, and to work together to support media professionals working in unstable and unsafe environments as a means of strengthening press freedom worldwide.   

"WAN-IFRA calls on governments worldwide to actively support the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity and encourages support organisations to work more closely with media companies to address the gaps in training, equipment and expertise that could contribute to reducing dangers," said the Board of WAN-IFRA, the global organisation for the world's press.

The resolution acknowledged the tragic statistics that show 1,127 journalists have been killed in the line of duty since 1992.

The WAN-IFRA Board acknowledged that over 50-percent of these deaths involved journalists working in print media, and that in the vast majority of instances, those killed were local journalists.

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