| Murdering journalists has become a phenomenon today in the world, specifically in the Middle East. Impunity and lack of law enforcement make the phenomenon worse. Journalists in authoritarian regimes hardly cover the murder of their colleagues. However, social media networks stand as effective ways to publish what cannot be published in the traditional media in regard to murder cases of journalists. Therefore, it's significant to know first the impact of murdering journalists on other working journalists, and then examine the role of social media in helping journalists to cover the murder cases and report the truth. It's also important to know how social media help journalists disseminate sensitive information and tell the public the truth. This study examined the Kawa Garmiani and Soran Mama Hama murder cases. Both journalists were murdered because of their journalistic writing in Kurdistan. An online survey with 27 investigative reporters and in-depth interviews with 19 investigative reporters in Kurdistan found that both murder cases left grave impacts on journalists. The negative impacts led to journalists self-censoring in the traditional media, and anonymous voices on social media. Results showed a limit of social media's effectiveness. Journalists find social media effective to create a public outcry only if the users remain anonymous. This study examined the spiral of silence theory using variables such as responsibility, fear, and danger. Results showed that fear and danger support the spiral of silence in the traditional media. |
