AP chief: Killing of journalists should be a war crime

Gary Pruitt, CEO and president of The Associated Press, speaks to the Newspaper Association of America, Tuesday, March 17, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. Pruitt said the AP has taken steps to beef up its staff, increase the number of stories it puts out on the wire and improve its news coverage as well as invest more in video, a burgeoning need in a digital world. AP PHOTO/Mark Humphrey

HONG KONG — The president and CEO of The Associated Press has called for changes to international laws that would make it a war crime to kill journalists or take them hostage.

Gary Pruitt said in a speech Monday that a new framework is needed to protect journalists as they cover conflicts in which they are increasingly seen as targets by extremist groups.

Last year was a particularly deadly year for the AP, with four journalists killed on assignment. A total of 61 journalists were killed in the line of duty in 2014, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

One of the most high profile killings was that of AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus, who was shot by a police officer while covering elections in Afghanistan.