A worldwide survey of attacks on the press shows 70 journalists were killed around the world in 2009 with 32 of them in the Philippines.

Reuters, Tokyo, Japan , February 16, 2010 – The number of journalists killed around the world hit a record high in 2009 with the death toll reaching 70, according to a survey by an international group advocating for freedom of the press.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that the 2009 tally compared to 42 deaths in 2008 and surpassed the previous record of 67 deaths in 2007 –partly due to a massacre in the Philippines that killed more than 30 journalists in November.

CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon told a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday (February 16) the situation faced by journalists in Iran was also worrying.

’We’ve documented 47 journalists in jail in Iran. That is more than any other country in the world including China. So the situation for journalists in Iran is treacherous. The repression is ongoing. And we are frankly gravely concerned about the fate of journalists jailed in that country,’ Simon said.

’I think what we need to do is show these journalists who are in jail that they are not forgotten, that there is a level of international concern and solidarity, and we have to let authorities in Iran know that,’ he added.