Reporters in Iraq face snipers, roadside bombs and kidnappings

Former ABC anchor Bob Woodruff was critically wounded by a roadside bomb while reporting from Iraq last January

BAGHDAD, Iraq Sniper fire, roadside bombs, kidnapping and murder are among the risks that Western journalists face covering the war in Iraq. Their Iraqi colleagues must cope with more: Families attacked in retribution for what they report, and possible arrest if someone believes them linked to the violence they cover.

At least 85 journalists — mostly Iraqis — have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 — more than in either Vietnam or World War II. The security situation is getting progressively worse and 2006 has been the deadliest year so far with at least 25 journalists killed to date.

"Iraq is the most dangerous assignment in the world right now for journalists," said Joel Campagna, head of the Mideast desk of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based media rights group that keeps the count.

"There really aren't any battle lines. The danger begins right outside your door," he said.

Read the rest at the International Herald Tribune