The organization Reporters Without Borders is reporting today that three Iraqi journalists have been killed in as many days in Iraq. Two radio reporters were abducted and later killed in separate incidents, and a deputy TV director died when a truck bomb detonated at the offices of the satellite TV station where he worked.
U.S.News & World Report Senior Writer Kevin Whitelaw, who has made seven trips to Iraq since 2000, most recently in April of last year, tells us that there has also been a heavy toll on Iraqis who aid western journalists:
"Journalists have been a target for the past three years, but there has been a hidden toll among the Iraqis that foreign journalists employ as assistants, translators, fixers, and drivers," he says. "Many of them are doubly exposed because they function as journalists and work closely with westerners. This makes them vulnerable to both insurgent groups and militias."
Whitelaw also reminds us that reporters who are not embedded with the military do not live in the comparatively safe Green Zone.
"As for western journalists still operating in Baghdad, security is a daily, usually hourly concern. Tight security precautions are taken every time one leaves the hotel," he says. "Remember that despite popular preconceptions, journalists who are not embedded with the U.S. military live outside the Green Zone and are very much exposed. They face many of the same threats that other Iraqis face [car bombs, etc.], as well as the risk of being a high-profile and potentially lucrative target."
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