The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) reported last week that 76 journalists have been killed so far this year, making 2006 the deadliest year for journalists on record. Seventy-two journalists were killed in 2004. The murder of Russian journalist, Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya, a week ago was number 76. Politkovskaya, a reporter for the Novaya Gazeta, was shot dead in Moscow. She was working on a story on torture in Chechnya. Twenty-six of the deaths occurred in Iraq, where journalists continue to be targeted and murdered. Timothy Balding, CEO of the Paris-based WAN, had this to say: "Journalists in Iraq are not only facing the danger that comes with working in a war zone, they are being hunted down and assassinated simply because they are suspected of cooperating with Western news agencies, because of their religious or political affiliation, or because their murderers believe that killing journalists will advance their aims." Balding said that journalism today was a more dangerous profession than ever: "More than 500 journalists have been killed in the past decade, often for simply doing their jobs. These murders are a direct attack not only on individuals, but also on society as a whole." And news out of Iraq this weekend was that another journalist had been killed on the job by a drive-by assassin, so that number is probably 77 in total. Have a good week. Louise Marsland, editor, editor@bizcommunity.com