Attacks on the Press in 2001: A Worldwide Survey

The January 2002 abduction and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl brought into sharp relief the dangers faced by journalists on assignment in areas of conflict. Scores of journalists are imprisoned every year because of what they have reported. Hundreds more are routinely subjected to physical attack, illegal detention, spurious legal action and threats against themselves or their families. Published annually by the non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists, Attacks on the Press provides factual and non-sensationalized reports on violations of press freedom around the world. It covers press freedom abuses in more than 130 countries, including harassment, censorship, assault and assassination. It also gives detailed accounts of journalists jailed for challenging government orthodoxy in countries whose leaders would prefer a docile and obedient press. Attacks on the Press in 2001 chronicles the deaths of 37 journalists in 2001, including eight who were killed in Afghanistan during a deadly period in November 2001.