Although journalists' deaths are rare in China, a 2009 tally of imprisoned journalists by the Committee to Protect Journalists puts China at the top of list, with 24 in prison – although that's lower than in previous years. China has held the top spot on the imprisonment list for 11 years.
Freelancers seem to be especially threatened in China: 22 of the 24 in prison are freelancers, according to the CPJ report. And online journalists are also facing a growing crackdown. CPJ put China as its No. 8 on the "10 Worst Countries to be a Blogger" list, citing its strict online censorship system that catches many Chinese bloggers trying to circumvent the tight control of the newspapers, and then puts them in prison or otherwise punishes them.
