Freelance Journalists Under Fire

CPJ's 2009 Prison Census: Freelance Journalists Under Fire

SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, December 8, 2009 - Freelancers now make up nearly 45 percent of all journalists jailed worldwide, a dramatic recent increase that reflects the evolution of the global news business, the Committee to Protect Journalists says in a new report. In its annual census of imprisoned journalists, released today, CPJ found a total of 136 reporters, editors, and photojournalists behind bars on December 1, an increase of 11 from the 2008 tally. A massive crackdown in Iran, where 23 journalists are now in jail, fueled the worldwide increase.

"Today, journalists on the front lines are increasingly working independently. The rise of online journalism has opened the door to a new generation of reporters, but it also means they are vulnerable," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. Exactly half of all those in prison are online journalists, CPJ's census found.

ENDS

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