2 journalists die per day globally from Covid-19

A global average of two journalists have died each day from coronavirus related causes in the 10 months from March to December  2020, according to the Press Emblem Campaign.

Over 600 media workers in 59 countries have died from Covid-19 since early March, which means 60 journalists have died per month, the PEC said in a statement in Geneva on Tuesday.

The tally was developed based on information from local media, national associations of journalists and regional PEC correspondents.

Of the 602 journalists who have died from Covid-19 since March 1, 2020, Latin America leads with more than half of the victims (303 deaths). Asia follows with 145 dead, ahead of Europe with 94, North America with 32 and Africa with 28, the statement said.

<Bangladesh 6th in Covid-19 death toll among journalists with 41 deaths>

Bangladesh ranks sixth in the world in terms of coronavirus-related deaths among journalists with 41 deaths.

Among the 41, 29 media workers have succumbed to the coronavirus, and 11 others have died with coronavirus-like symptoms in Bangladesh, according to “Our Media, Our Rights,” a social media-based journalist group based in Bangladesh.

A total of 1,124 journalists and employees of 202 national and local media houses have been infected with the deadly virus across the country, the group says.

Among them, 812 were infected in Dhaka and 312 in outer Dhaka, while 1,039 have recovered.

A total of 123 newspapers, 40 online portals, 32 television stations, five radio stations and two news agencies have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the country as of January 4, 2020.

Peru remains the country with the heaviest death toll, with 93 media workers dead from the coronavirus since March (according to the Peruvian National Association of Journalists).

Brazil is second with 55 deaths, ahead of India (53), Mexico (45) and Ecuador (42), according to the Geneva-based PEC.

<How other countries fared>

The PEC described Italy as the most bereaved European country, with 37 journalists dead from Covid-19.

In the US, 31 deaths from Covid-19 have been counted among the media. Pakistan is next with 22 dead, followed by Turkey with 17, Great Britain with 13, Panama with 11 and Bolivia with 9 deaths.

Afghanistan, Dominican Republic, Nigeria and Russia have each recorded 8 deaths, followed by Argentina, Colombia and Honduras with 7 deaths each. In each of Nicaragua, Spain and Venezuela, six journalists have died from Covid-19. In France, five deaths from Covid-19 have been announced.

Three journalists died from Covid-19 in each of these countries: Cameroon, Egypt, Guatemala, Iran, Nepal, Salvador, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Two deaths were recorded in the following countries: Algeria, Indonesia, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal and Sweden.

The PEC has identified at least one death in the following 21 countries: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Germany, Iraq (Kurdistan), Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Uganda, Tajikistan, Togo, and Uruguay.

<Journalists should have priority access to immunization>

“The PEC deplores the many preventable deaths. It supports, when necessary, requests for financial assistance for the families of journalists who have died from Covid-19,” said a press release on Tuesday.

The PEC also shares the view that media workers should have priority access to immunization upon request, it added

“Because of their profession, journalists who go into the field to testify are particularly exposed to the virus. Some of them, especially freelancers and photographers, can't just work from home,” said PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen.