At least 66 journalists killed globally in past year amid growing violence against media

At least 66 reporters have reportedly been killed across the globe in the past year following increased violence against the media.

According to Dawn, Reporters Without Borders says that attacks on journalists have grown more barbaric and kidnappings have soared.

The beheadings of James Foley and Steven Sotloff by the Islamic State (IS) militants is an example of violence being committed against media persons covering ongoing conflicts.

In their annual report released Tuesday, Reporters Without Borders stated "rarely have reporters been murdered with such a barbaric sense of propaganda, shocking the entire world."

Some 720 reporters have been killed since 2005.

Meanwhile, incidents of kidnappings went up to 119, up 37 per cent in last year.

Of the total number of journalists abducted, 33 were in Ukraine, 29 in Libya and 27 in Syria. Forty of them are still being held hostage.

The report added that 16 of the 22 journalists currently being held by armed groups in Syria are localites. All of the eight journalists currently held hostage in Iraq are Iraqis.