INSI and Cardiff University to launch database of journalist deaths

The International News Safety Institute (INSI) and Cardiff University will launch a database of journalist deaths across the world to raise awareness of safety issues for the media.

The INSI website already carries information on casualties per region, but the new database will be searchable and contain safety advice.

The database, which is scheduled for launch by the end of the year, will be updated by both Cardiff and the INSI. It will provide an up-to-date resource for journalists and news organisations and not just a historical record of attacks on the media, Professor Richard Tait, director of the Centre for Journalism at Cardiff University, told Journalism.co.uk.

"Journalism as a profession is taking far too many casualties. Everyone in the industry has to try and do whatever they can to reduce that. Journalism schools have their part to play as well as media organisations and suppliers," he said.

"There's a very dangerous knowledge gap between the small number of journalists who have well-organised and well-resourced news organisations behind them and most of the rest of the profession, who may not have the resources themselves, because they are freelancers or maybe their employers don't take safety so seriously."

Tait said that he wants to use the power of the internet to share knowledge, hints, tips and advisories about safety situations and best practice in different countries and regions across the word. It's important for working journalists to receive more detailed information about what threats are present and advice on how to deal with these so they can take action and make informed decisions, he added.

The data will also be used as part of the INSI's annual Killing the Messenger report, which analyses current threats to journalists and trends in press freedom and journalism safety.

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