Reporter deaths rose 50% in 2022

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Killings of journalists around the world jumped by 50% in 2022 compared with the previous year, driven largely by attacks in Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti.

According to a report Tuesday by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 67 news media workers were killed worldwide in 2022, the highest number since 2018. Journalists in the three countries say the increased danger has forced them to work under extreme stress.

The effect is particularly notable in Haiti, where seven journalists were killed in 2022, a huge number for a small island country of about 12 million people. Some were killed by violent street gangs that have basically taken over the capital, Port au Prince, but at least two were shot by police.

The CPJ noted that more than half — 35 of the 67 killings — took place in just three countries: Ukraine, Mexico and Haiti. Mexico saw 13 news workers killed, according to the committee. Other media groups have put the number at 15, which would make 2022 the deadliest year in at least three decades for Mexican journalists. In war-battered Ukraine, 15 news workers were killed last year, CPJ said.

The CPJ said it had confirmed that 41 of the 67 journalists were killed “in direct connection with their work,” and that it is investigating the motives for the 26 other slayings.

In Mexico, the slayings appeared to be due to a toxic mix of drug gang violence, local political corruption and a lack of punishment for killers. One journalist was killed in the United States last year, on Sept. 2: Jeff German, a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. A Las Vegas-area elected official about whom German had written articles has pleaded not guilty to the slaying.