Tragic Month for Media

The Beginning of May
Nine journalists died in a double suicide bombing in Kabul, killing a total of 36 people. A 10th journalist — a BBC reporter — was shot dead in the city of Khost. While The Guardian reports a “Deadly Day for the Media”, it is important to note the significance of purposefully targeting members of the media. The journalists in Kabul apparently were directly targeted, as they were covering a separate bomb blast in the central district of Afghanistan’s capital. After journalists rushed to the scene of the initial blast, waiting was a suicide bomber posing as a cameraman, who blew himself up among the journalists. Reports confirmed the deliberate targeting of journalist in this incident, which has resulted in the deaths of 10 journalist in a single day, the deadliest since the beginning of the Afghan War in 2001.

The Middle of May
Nine journalist have been confirmed as wounded during the protest of the US Embassy, which is being relocated in Jerusalem. Al-Jazeera has revealed that one of its reporters has been wounded while covering demonstrations in Gaza, referred to as the "Great March of Return”, demonstrations in Gaza where Palestinians protesting the new US Embassy in Jerusalem.

A graphic published by The Guardian from Reporters without Borders shows that 24 journalists have been killed so far in 2018, part of an alarming trend over the past 15 years, see below.

Reporters without Borders, an international non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Paris, works to promote “the freedom to be informed and to inform others throughout the world.”

The End of May
While the tallies are unknown for the second half of May, certainly we hope for an end to violence directed at media professionals around the globe.

Hopefully reports of violence against members of the media will cease. Here I believe all STEEMians feel a certain connection to journalists and other media workers around the globe. I think I can speak for others on this platform that while we may be decentralized, we stand in solidarity with members of the media and wish them safety in their journeys for the sake of Freedom of the Press, their families and loved ones.