Journalists Facing Biggest Threats in Recent Times, Advocacy Group Says

The ascendance of militant extremists and criminal gangs who abduct and kill reporters, combined with rising government repression in the cause of counterterrorism, has created the biggest threat to journalism in recent times, a press advocacy group said in an annual report on Monday.

The report, “Attacks on the Press,” by the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the menace was especially acute for freelancers, or independent journalists, whose resources and training are often limited, and who may have no established news organization to help them when they get into trouble.