Without a doubt, 2009 was a dangerous year to be a journalist in many parts of the world.

In fact worldwide, more journalists were killed in 2009 than any previous year on record, according to a report by the Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ).

In all, 68 journalists were known to have been killed in the line of duty during 2009. The record tally came about in large part because 31 journalists were killed in fighting in the Philippines last monh.(the number grew since the initial report of 12 journalists killed).

From the CPJ:

The enormity of the Philippine massacre is unparalleled. Twenty-nine journalists and two support workers were among the 57 people brutally murdered in a November ambush motivated by political clan rivalries. The deadliest prior event for the press came in Iraq in October 2006, when 11 employees of Al-Shaabiya television were killed in an attack on the station's Baghdad studios, CPJ research shows.

The Maguindanao killings, while extreme, reflect the deep-seated climate of impunity in the Philippines, where long-term law enforcement and political failures have led to high numbers of journalist murders and low rates of convictions over two decades. For two years running, CPJ has identified the Philippines as one of the world's worst nations in combating violence against the press.

From Reuters:

This year Iraq dropped to No. 3 on the list of deadliest countries with four journalist deaths, the lowest annual tally recorded since the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2003.

The Philippines topped the list with 32 deaths -- 31 of which happened during a massacre in the South of the country in November. Somalia, which western security agencies say has become a safe haven for militants, including foreign extremists, came in second with nine media deaths.

"This has been a year of unprecedented devastation for the world's media, but the violence also confirms long-term trends," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "Most victims were local reporters covering news in their own communities.

Notably, all but two of the 68 journalists killed this year were local journalists, who are more vulnerable to geting caught up in regional, ethnic and political disputes in their reporting and often work without the protection provided staff foreign journalists (though not necessarily freelancers).

Freelancers, though not accounting for the bulk of journalist killing, do represent some 45 per cent of journalists who have been imprisoned around the world, according to a previous CPJ report.

Africa saw the most journalist deaths since 1992, and none of the murder cases across sub-Saharan Africa have led to charges against those who committed the crimes, according to the CPJ.