Page 235 - Battleground The Media Volume 1 and 2

1 | Journal sts n Per l

aMeriCans FaCe dangers all oVer the world
Paul Klebnikov was an American of Russian descent who worked as editor of the Russian-
language edition of Forbes magazine. Klebnikov was a fluent Russian speaker who was proud
of his Russian roots and was determined to improve the quality of journalism in Russia.
After a typical day at work—on July 9, 2004—Klebnikov left his office at 9 pm and started
walking towards the nearest subway station. As he walked, a car pulled up and pumped
nine bullets into his chest. Though he died within half an hour, Klebnikov was able to de-
scribe his assailants to colleagues, but he did not know what could have brought on such a
savage attack. He was 41 years old.
Russian police later arrested two men for the killing, but they were found not guilty by a
jury, perhaps because of outright intimidation by friends of the defendants. A judge later
ordered a retrial, but the accused disappeared before they could be retried. Even though
police still maintain that they found the “shooters,” they did not know who ordered the “hit”
on Klebnikov, or why. One theory was that Klebnikov was punished for writing an unflattering
book about a Chechen businessman. Another was that he was killed for writing a book criti-
cal of a Russian oligarch. Before his death Klebnikov told his family he had been given some
incriminating and dangerous information. Yet the world may never know why Paul Klebnikov
was killed, or who was behind his murder.

Media organizations like the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Com-
mittee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) painstakingly document attacks on journalists.
CPJ found that 580 journalists were killed between 1992, when it started keep-
ing records, and 2006. That is an average of three journalists killed per month—a
shockingly high statistic. In 2006, IPI statistics show that 100 journalists were killed
around the world. This is the largest number of reporter deaths in one year in re-
cent history, and is due mostly to the increasingly dangerous situation in Iraq.
CPJ says that most of the journalists killed in recent years were specifically
targeted because of their work. “If popular imagination suggests journalists are
typically killed by an errant bullet or a mortar bomb in battlefields, CPJ’s data
show that the majority—seven out of every 10—are targeted in retaliation for
their reporting and hunted down to be murdered,” wrote CPJ’s Matthew Han-
sen. “Even in war zones, CPJ’s analysis shows, murder is the leading cause of
death.” Worse, most of those who took retribution killed with impunity. CJP
found that 85 percent of the killers faced neither investigation nor prosecution
for their crimes.

a quEsTion oF rEvEngE

In the United States, our Bill of Rights—the first 10 amendments to the
Constitution—specifically spells out freedom of speech and freedom of the press
as basic rights to which all citizens are entitled. The American founders under-
stood that a free and vibrant press was essential, and that the press should serve
as a watchdog over the government keeping elected officials accountable to the