Journalists at risk: telling the truth can get them killed.

• Author: Braffman-Miller, Judith
• Position: The United States of Violence: A Special Section - Cover Story

Reporters and photographers ave been shot, abducted, beaten, or otherwise abused in pursuit of stories. Are there any solutions to the death threat?

MANUEL de Dios Unanue, outspoken former editor of El Diario/La Prensa and founder of the weekly magazine Crimen (Crime) was shot in the head March 11, 1992, in a New York City restaurant. In March, 1994, a Colombian assassin was convicted of the murder. Testimony at his trial revealed that the killing had been ordered by Colombian drug lord Jose Santa-cruz Londono, who had put out a 20,000 contract on the journalist's life. De Dios had dared to write about possible drug cartel links between the U.S. and Colombia. After his slaying, daily death threats were telephoned into the offices of El Diario/La Prensa.

The De Dios case is far from unique. Mark Hertsgaard, author of On Bended Knee: The Press and the Reagan Presidency, writes: "Telling the truth can get you killed. Despite this unpleasant occupational hazard, intrepid journalists the world over persevere. Journalists are societies' eyes and ears; without them, we are left deaf and dumb to what is going on around us. They deserve our respect and gratitude .. they also need our protection and solidarity."

Other examples of attacks on the media abound:

* Lemon Grove Review publisher Pete Kaufman has been getting menacing notes since September, 1992, from the San Diego branch of the Ku Klux Klan. One of the letters was bound to a brick that was sent flying through his office window.

* On Feb. 23, 1993, a trio of men burst into the offices of WOCN Radio in Miami. They battered and tied up employee Pablo Fernandez, then trashed station equipment. Fernandez charged that the men had asked, "Is this where Aruca works?" Francisco Aruca, a controversial figure who wants closer ties to Castro's Cuba, speaks frequently on WOCN's "Radio Progreso" program. It is believed the attack was carried out by anti-Castro Cubans.

* On April 7, 1992, Rebecca Thatcher, a reporter for the Brownsville Herald in Texas, got a tongue in the mail. It came in an envelope whose return address was a house that had been seized in a drug bust. Thatcher had reported on the conviction and sentencing of the homeowner's husband on drug trafficking charges. Police view this as a threat against Thatcher.

It is not uncommon in the U.S. for reporters and photographers to be abused. Sometimes, there is violence or the threat of violence. Other times, they may be intimidated by legal action. Officials often try to kill an unwanted story by launching a fishing expedition for the confidential source.

A 24-year-old journalist, Tim Roche, was sentenced to 30 days in prison on March 15, 1993, for refusing to name his confidential source. Roche's crime was quoting 54 words from a secret court order in a child abuse case when he was a reporter in Stuart, Fla. The case became a test for press freedom. The judge involved was irritated because the confidentiality he wanted had been violated, and he demanded that Roche name his confidential source. Roche declined and was sentenced to jail. Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles and the U.S. Supreme Court would not overturn his sentence. Roche refused a deal to perform 300 hours of community service instead of going to prison. As Roche told fellow reporters, he wasn't trying to be a hero; his convictions would not permit him to divulge his source. He ultimately was released on April 1, 1993, after serving 18 days. Roche triumphantly told his colleagues: "I fulfilled my obligation to both my source and to...