Remarks by Judy Woodruff, CNN

05.03.05

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We pause today, sad by the loss of each life, stunned by the sheer number who died — 78 — one of the worst tolls since record keeping began — and even angry because we feel helpless to do very much about this. But we are grateful, that there is a place where we can remember those who literally gave their lives, keeping our democracy strong, or working to get the truth out in other parts of the globe.

Before I say anything more about the journalists we remember and honor today, I want first to note how fortunate most of us are who report and cover news here in the United States. In this country with a 230-year-old democracy, we ply our craft free of physical threat. No one stands on street corners and takes shots at us; we aren’t stalked and hunted down as is the case in so many parts of the world. Yes, we are held in lower regard these days, and, yes, some powerful people are constantly thinking about how to manipulate us to their benefit, and, yes, some courts are today challenging the rights of reporters to keep sources confidential. But thanks to the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, the press in this country is free to ask questions and challenge authority, without fear of violent reprisal.

That is not to say journalists in the United States don’t place themselves in physically dangerous situations: They do, and four of the journalists we remember today were felled in the line of duty. They were covering a story, trying to gather information for the public, when tragedy struck in the form of a mobile broadcast truck tower hitting a power line, or a terrible car accident. And we mourn their deaths every bit as much as we do the deaths of journalists who were killed in a hail of bullets in Iraq — like the half dozen native Iraq camera men who died in twin suicide bombings early last year.

Indeed, Iraq is a country where the most journalists were killed last year — 25 in all — more than the year before — almost one-third of the total number of deaths worldwide. That underlines the danger that still holds that country in its grip. But what is worth noting is that many of those who died in Iraq were not caught in a crossfire, or a random bombing, or the fog of war — when mistakes can and do happen, including by American troops.

No, according to both the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Press Institute, almost half the journalists who died in Iraq were murdered — targeted by insurgents — insurgents who knew who they were after. In other words, they appear to have been singled out because they were journalists. Twenty-seven-year-old Duraid Isa Mohammed, a producer and interpreter for CNN, died, along with his driver, after a car pulled up behind them and another CNN car, and fired with an AK-47.

At the same time, we find more journalists willing to go into war zones like Iraq — we find that increasingly, journalists are no longer being viewed by combatants as impartial and independent. There are a complex set of reasons why that is, but the result is that one could almost say that insurgents have declared war on journalists, threatening to kill them and killing them. Dina Mohammed Hassan was a reporter for Al Hurriya, the Kurdish TV station, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in front of her house. The gunman shouted “collaborator” as he fired at her.

This is not a new phenomenon, what we’re witnessing in Iraq. It has happened for years on a smaller scale in places like Algeria, Colombia and the Philippines. This year was no different.

The Philippines, a place that is identified as a new democracy, saw nine journalists shot and killed last year simply for doing their work. Allan Dizon, a photographer and correspondent, was shot in the head and chest at point-blank range, after he reported on illegal gambling. Radio reporter Arnnel Manalo was shot to death after he dropped his two children off at school, apparently linked to his reporting about a local political leader.

In Russia, Paul Klebnikov, the editor of the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, was shot to death last July — apparently the victim of a contract killing, linked to his reporting on Russia’s secretive billionaires.

In Brazil, radio station owner and program host Jorge Lourenco dos Santos was shot to death evidently because he dared to criticize politicians and businessman in the area.

In India, newspaper reporter Veeraboina Yadagiri was stabbed to death after exposing the illicit liquor trade in his area.

And the stories go on and on. And we are sad, but we should also be angry. Because in too many of these places, the authorities have failed to properly investigate and prosecute the killers of these journalists. As the International Press Institute has concluded, in too many countries, there is a type of blanket impunity that smothers all attempts at investigation. In the Philippines for example, the IPI reports that since 1986, when the country won independence, some 56 journalists have been killed, including a dozen last year. As of recently, no one has ever been convicted of these killings.

There are similar reports about Mexico, about Haiti, and Eastern Europe. Where democracies are young and struggling, where there is not a robust freedom of the press, journalists are targeted and seldom are there consequences.

So as we celebrate the lives of all these journalists who died, and as we remember their courage and their dedication to the job, we should direct some of our anger and some of our energy toward those governments who condone these killings, or who look the other way. For all the heroism of the war correspondents, and that is very real, the fact is that most of the journalists killed around the world each year are local reporters, photographers, editors and camera operators covering events in their own countries. That they should die with no one paying the penalty, that they should make the ultimate sacrifice so that their publics can get the vital information needed to function as a free society, and that no one be called to account, is not something we can tolerate. Let’s vow to keep speaking out about these murders, until governments feel the heat of our words.

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