RSF awards to spotlight ‘urgent need’ to protect journalists

LONDON: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is bringing its annual Press Freedom Awards to London for the first time on Thursday, highlighting the “urgent need” for protection of journalists in an increasingly dangerous year for media. Some 63 journalists, 11 citizen journalists and four media assistants have been killed so far in 2018, RSF said, including Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi who was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. A total of 55 journalists were killed in the whole of 2017. Established in 1985 to defend and promote press freedom, Paris-based RSF has been presenting its yearly awards since 1992. Previous winners include the late Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi and the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet.