The deteriorating conditions have prompted many international media organisations to suspend sending reporters to rebel held areas.
“Most journalists are saying for now that it is too risky to go to Syria, though many of them want to go and feel that they should,” said RSF’s Soazig Dollet.
And some media groups now advise foreign reporters to stay out of Syria.
In August, the Rory Peck Trust, which works to support freelancers, issued a statement titled “Freelancers in Syria: Do you really have to go?”
“The situation for journalists in Syria is unprecedented, and it’s getting worse,” it said.
“This is a new situation where no amount of planning or preparation can reliably reduce the possibility of kidnapping or abduction.”
Mansour says the CPJ does not advise journalists whether to cover a particular conflict, but points out the dangers of failing to deliver coverage.
“If no one is covering the conflict, it’s a gift and a reward to those who are committing human rights violations,” he said.
The problem is compounded by the threats to Syrian journalists, Dollet said, who face danger from all parties to the conflict.
“Syria is the worst country in the world to be a news provider,” she said.
“We are now at a turning point. We need to wait and see what’s going to happen with those who are kidnapped,” she added.
“But it’s not going to get easier, what we have to find out is whether it’s going to get more difficult.”
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