On Oct. 2, 39-year-old journalist Josh Kruger was shot dead in his Philadelphia apartment. Kruger commonly reported on homelessness and the LGBTQ+ community. Being that he was openly queer and had struggled with homelessness in the past, he found it important to advocate for the city’s most vulnerable residents. One suspect has been detained by police, and the investigation is still ongoing as to whether or not the man arrested was Kruger’s killer. A trend that’s been noticed over the years is the alarmingly increasing rate of journalists around the globe falling victim to violent crimes against them. While it is sometimes overlooked, bigger cases, like that of Kruger, draw national attention and force people to open their eyes to the harsh realities.
“Usually, journalist deaths occur when an individual reports on controversial topics like political corruption,” said an anonymous senior. This danger is especially prevalent to local journalists, as they do not have the same level of protections as their peers working for bigger media outlets.
“I’d say [this pattern] is because there’s a lot of risk involved in the questions they’re asking and I feel like the really hard questions have a lot of risk and a lot of consequences to them” said junior Anika Mahuli
In a statistic from the Committee to Protect Journalists, 67 journalists were killed in 2022, with 41 killed in targeted murders due to their reporting. Other deaths were caused by the crossfire in war zones like Ukraine. The numbers continue to rise in the current year, Kruger being a notable example of such. These gruesome facts beg the question: does journalism need to change?
“I don’t think journalism should change from how it is because it is important that citizens are informed and up to date on pressing matters that affect everyone,” said the anonymous senior. Others agree with this same sentiment that the pursuit of the truth is the most important part of journalism
“I feel like journalism shouldn’t change because that’s how you get the hard truth and sometimes the hard truth has consequences but the journalists know that going,” said Mahuli.
In 2022, countries with the highest journalist death rates enacted laws aimed at protecting members of the media. Even though these measures are being taken to prevent the issue, it’s still not enough. The laws are bypassed by those persecuting the media, and journalists face many of the same dangers they did prior. As people of the world, we must prioritize and protect the brave souls that seek to share the truth in the face of adversity.
