Reuters / Rafael Marchante
A near-record number of journalists around the world are in prison for their work, according to an annual report released Thursday. At least 251 journalists were behind bars for doing their jobs as of the start of this month, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. More than half are in Turkey, China, and Egypt—journalists in those countries are frequently accused of acting against the government. The number of journalists imprisoned on charges of “false news” rose to 28, up from 21 last year and nine in 2016. “It looks like a trend now,” the report’s author, Elana Beiser, told Reuters in an interview. “It looks like the new normal.” The report singled out President Trump for attacking the media as “fake news”—the phrase is now also being used by leaders in countries like the Philippines and Turkey. The study was published the same week that Time magazine named several journalists who had suffered for their work—including murdered writer Jamal Khashoggi—as the recipients of its annual “Person of the Year” award.