The number of journalists killed worldwide for their work nearly doubled this year. That information comes from a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The New York-based group reported that 34 journalists were killed because of their work as of December 14, while at least 53 were killed in all. That compares to 18 retaliation killings among the 47 deaths confirmed by the committee in 2017. The new report lists the name of Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote opinion pieces for The Washington Post. Khashoggi was a native of Saudi Arabia, but fiercely critical of its ruling family. He went missing on October 2 during a visit to Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic offices in Istanbul. Turkish officials claim he was attacked and killed inside the consulate. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced last week that the United States is still investigating the killing. However, the Central Intelligence Agency found that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved in Khashoggi’s murder. U.S. President Donald Trump has condemned the violence against journalists. Yet the committee noted that he has called some “enemies of the people.”
