The New York–based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) states in a recent report that 129 journalists and media workers were killed last year. This figure exceeds that of the previous year for the second consecutive time. The Israeli state is said to be responsible for the majority of the killings.
According to CPJ’s research, around two-thirds of the killings are attributed to the actions of the Israeli government and, consequently, to the conduct of the Israeli army, particularly in Gaza.
Killings by drones on the rise
For the second consecutive year, the figures have surpassed the previous year’s record, and this year’s numbers represent the highest ever recorded since CPJ began its documentation. The CPJ also notes that the Israeli army (IDF) is responsible for more killings of media workers than any other government military. Drone strikes have also increased in number. In 2023, CPJ documented killings by drones for the first time; in 2025, the number reached 39.
It is notable that 104 of the 129 killed media workers lost their lives in conflict zones. The majority of them were Palestinians killed by the Israeli military. The numbers have also increased in Sudan and Ukraine.
Figures raise alarm
“Journalists are being killed in record numbers at a time when access to information is more important than ever,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “Attacks on the media are a leading indicator of attacks on other freedoms, and much more needs to be done to prevent these killings and punish the perpetrators. We are all at risk when journalists are killed for reporting the news.”
The rising number of journalist deaths globally is fueled by a persistent culture of impunity for attacks on the press. Very few transparent investigations have been conducted into the 47 cases of targeted killings documented by CPJ in 2025 — the highest number of journalists deliberately killed for their work in the past decade — and no one has been held accountable in any of the cases.
These killings of journalists violate international humanitarian law, which stipulates that journalists are civilians and should never be deliberately targeted, according to CPJ.
The continued failure of government leaders to protect the press or hold their attackers to account also lays the groundwork for more killings, including in countries not at war. Journalists were killed in Mexico, India, and the Philippines in 2025, all countries that have persistently failed to secure justice for journalists’ murders. CPJ has called for radical reform of the ways governments investigate journalist killings in order to bring perpetrators to justice, including establishing an international investigative task force and imposing targeted sanctions.
CPJ pointed out that the uptick in journalist killings is symptomatic of a wider decline in press freedom and journalist safety globally.
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