This year has been the deadliest for journalists in a decade, due largely to the violence in Iraq and in the Philippines.
Research showed that 54 journalists were killed in the line of work in 2004 so far, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday.
That figure was the highest since 1995, when 51 journalists were killed, in part due to a civil war in Algeria, the group said.
"The number of journalists killed in 2004 is both shocking and unacceptable," said Ann Cooper, the group's executive director.
While some journalists died in the US-led war in Iraq, she said, "the majority were murdered in direct reprisal for their reporting, particularly in the Philippines."
This year, Iraq has been most dangerous for journalists, with 23 killed, the group said. Eight journalists were killed in the Philippines, all of them targeted for their work, she said.
Since the nonprofit group began compiling statistics, the deadliest year for journalists was 1994, when 66 journalists were killed, mostly in Algeria, Rwanda, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, it said.