On December 11, Russia commemorates journalists killed on professional duty

On December 11th, 2002, Russia commemorates journalists killed while performing their professional duty. First marked in 1991, this day has become a tradition in Russia. On December 11th, we remember those who were killed while covering events in the world's hot spots.

Every year dozens of reporters are killed worldwide.

Today some Russian cities are debating the so-called "Anti-terrorist Convention," worked out jointly by the mass media Industrial Committee and the all-Russian "Mediasoyuz" Union of Journalists. This document contains a journalistic conduct code applied in cases of emergency.

According to the "Mediasoyuz" Vice President, Yelena Zelinskaya, the discussions are carried out in the form of TV debates on local channels in Nizhny Novgorod, Vorenezh, Rostov-on-Don, Khabarovsk, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, and other cities. "The death of a journalist is itself a case of emergency," Zelinskaya believes. According to her, rules prescribed by the convention aim at protecting journalists who work in troubled regions and those who cover current events as well.