Dominican Republic journalist Francisco Frías, the director of Cabrera FM and the digital newspaper Prensa Libre Nagua, was shot by the police while covering a funeral, Terra reports.
Frías took shots in the stomach and in the eye, says Reporters without Borders (RSF), which demanded an investigation to determine if the police intended to hit the reporter. The journalist had previously been threatened by a police captain while covering a land conflict, Diario Libre explains.
According to RSF, there have already been eight reports of violence against journalists in the country in 2011, with the majority perpetrated by the authorities.
Even with these incidents, the Dominican Republic is not considered one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. One of the most notable cases of media worker violence in the country is the killing of journalist Marcelino Vega, who was shot to death in 1981 while covering a public worker strike.
This week, several of his relatives announced they were planning to launch a new regional print newspaper, “Provincia,” lead by Vega’s brother Ricardo, which will cover agricultural, political and social issues in the eastern region of Hato Mayor, Hoy Digital and El Nuevo Diario add.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
