62 journalists killed in 2008: Watchdog

The number of journalists, bloggers and media workers killed because of their work fell to 62 this year from 106 in 2007, the media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders said Tuesday.
Nevertheless, the group said the fall in fatalities was not grounds for optimism over media freedom since in many areas the decrease showed only that violent repression had forced reporters to abandon their jobs.
The body also warned that state censorship was spreading to the Internet.
"The figures may be lower than last year's but this should not mask the fact that intimidation and censorship have become more widespread, including in the west," the group said in a statement.
"The quantitative improvement in certain indicators is often due to journalists becoming disheartened and turning to a less dangerous trade or going into exile," it added.
"We cannot say that 60 deaths, hundreds of arrests and systematic censorship offer grounds for optimism."
Reporters Without Borders is one of several pressure groups that maintains annual casualty figures for journalists. Others use different criteria, but all have noted high casualty rates in recent years.