Don’t try to aspire to be a foreign correspondent. A journalist wanting to find a story outside the walls of the American or British Embassy, not regurgitating their press releases, can expect problems. Organizations representing journalists are calling for investigations into the deaths of reporters bringing the news to us all each day from around the world. It is a thankless profession reserved for those with the courage to put themselves in harm’s way.

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans Frontieres, RSF), a French-based watchdog organization, is beside itself with anger after releasing their annual report on May 3 giving the less-than-spectacular verdict for journalists in the Middle East. No Middle Eastern country has conditions better than “noticeable problems” on the RSF scale. Syria, Iraq, Libya, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia are listed as a “very serious situation.” Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Iran and Mauritania are listed as a “difficult situation.”

According to Reporters Without Borders, journalists in these countries sometimes face imprisonment or worse.

However, the release of this report is not the only thing that happened on May 3 in the Middle East. It has been a horrible two weeks for journalists in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza, as Israeli troops killed their second journalist in two weeks.

According to Associated Press reports, on Sunday James Miller, an English videographer, was shot and killed by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip while waving a white flag and clearly marked as a journalist. He was working on a documentary for an American network, HBO. Sunday was also World Press Freedom Day.

Nazeh Darouazi, a Palestinian journalist working for the Associated Press Television Network, was hit by Israeli gunfire in the Old City of Nablus on April 19. According to Reporters Without Borders, he was standing in a group of identified journalists, wearing a bright yellow vest and clearly marked “press.” RSF announced just last week that it would conduct an investigation into Darouazi’s killing. RSF also reports that five journalists have been killed in the West Bank and Gaza by Israeli troops since September 2000.

This year, four journalists have been wounded by Israeli gunfire. Last year eight were wounded, most of them clearly marked as noncombatants. Reporters Without Borders reported of those wounded, “None of the incidents were investigated by the Israeli army and those responsible were not punished.”

While it is clear that foreign correspondents choose a profession that puts them at great danger, our desire for accurate and balanced news is all the more reason to protect their special status as noncombatants in accordance with Geneva Convention.

If we are interested in democratic, free societies, we must demand the protection of these courageous professionals worldwide.