According to Reporters Without Borders, a media watchdog/media advocacy organization, 2006 was the deadliest year for journalists since 1994. A total of 81 journalists and 32 media assistants were killed while on the job in 2006, up from 63 journalists and 5 assistants in 2005. The most dangerous place for journalists in 2006 was Iraq, where 64 journalists and assistants were killed (139 total have been killed since fighting began in 2003). But the second-most dangerous place for reporters was a little closer to home. Nine journalists were killed in Mexico while investigating drug trafficking or violent social unrest.

Reporters Without Borders notes that their assessments may differ from those issued by other organizations because Reporters Without Borders counts journalists' deaths only if they are certain that the deaths were job-related (some investigations into journalist deaths have yet to be concluded).

You can check out the press release here. It includes more facts about journalists including job-related arrests, imprisonments, and numbers of media outlets censored. It also provides a little more background into some of the issues and challenges that journalists are facing.

Press Freedom in 2006 (Reporters Without Borders, full report PDF)