The world's biggest journalists' organization says that at least 81 reporters have been killed on the job this year and that violence and harassment against media staff have skyrocketed.

In its annual "Kill Report," seen by The Associated Press, the International Federation of Journalists says the reporters lost their lives in targeted killings, car bomb attacks and crossfire incidents around the world.

More than 250 journalists were in prison in 2017.

The number of deaths as of Dec. 29 was the lowest in a decade, down from 93 in 2016. Most were killed in Mexico, but many also in conflict zones in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

IFJ President Philippe Leruth said that while the drop in deaths "represents a downward trend, the levels of violence in journalism remain unacceptably high."