According to CNN (copyright The Associated Press) in their news article today, "Report: 1,000 journalists killed in past decade", more than 1,000 journalists have died in the past decade, nearly half were shot. Others were blown up, beaten to death, stabbed, tortured or decapitated.
That grimly fact reminds me of my colleagues Karen Fischer and Christian Struwe who were killed in Baghlan, Afghanistan right after we worked together in Kabul that fateful October. They were great professionals to work with. May their souls rest in peace.
Read their tv station Deutsche Welle's news article.
1,000 deaths in 10 years translates to 100 deaths a year worldwide, which further translates to about 8 journalists being killed on the job every month. Yes, every month 8 journalists somewhere in the world is "blown up, beaten to death, stabbed, tortured or decapitated".
Karen and Christian were shot to death. Is life worth dying for something you are passionate about?! Is life worth being taken away by someone not as passionate in you as you are in them and their people and their country?!
Yes. Only if you haven't died for your job yet.
Angel Lam
- Angel Lam
- Singapore
- Angel holds a degree in Communication from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia with specializations in Journalism and Psychology. She entered the United Nations system as the Communications Associate of the Malaysia country office, where she formulated and implemented media strategies on international development issues relating to integrity and transparency, democratic governance, environment, HIV/AIDS, poverty reduction and South-South cooperation, as well as gender issues and the Millennium Development Goals. Angel also worked on several development projects on Afghanistan, particularly in reviving its dried fruits industry through modern agro-processing methodologies, and in encouraging foreign direct investment to the reconstruction of Afghanistan, for which she championed while at the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency, the investment arm of the Government of Afghanistan. She is currently a recipient of the Lee Kuan Yew Postgaduate Scholarship at the LKY School of Public Policy, the political science arm of the National University of Singapore, where her work and research in international development and poverty alleviation continues.