GENEVA — At least 735 journalists have died from COVID-19 in 63 countries in 11 months, or 66 per month on average, the Geneva-based Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) has said.
According to a PEC press release on Wednesday, of all the journalists who have died from COVID-19 since March 1, 2020, Latin America leads with 375 victims, Asia follows with 148 dead, ahead of Europe 137, North America 39 and Africa 36.
The largest increases in the number of victims during the month of January 2021 were recorded in Brazil and Mexico.
“Because of their profession, journalists who go into the field to inform are particularly exposed to the virus. Some of them, especially the freelancers, cameramen and photographers, cannot only work from home,” said PEC Secretary-General Blaise Lempen.
According to PEC, Peru remains the country with the heaviest death toll, with 95 media workers who have died from the coronavirus since last March.
Mexico is in second place with 84 victims, ahead of Brazil, which lost 77 journalists.Italy is the most bereaved European country with 44 journalists dead from the coronavirus, and in the United States, at least 38 victims of COVID-19 have been counted among the media.
The PEC said that its tally is based on information from local media, national associations of journalists and regional PEC correspondents. The PEC, founded in 2004, aims at improving the safety of journalists across the world, its website says.
