A Deadly Year for Journalists: 129 Killed Globally in 2025, Israel Accountable for Two-Thirds

In a stark reminder of the perils facing the press, a new report has revealed that 2025 was one of the deadliest years on record for journalists worldwide. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 129 journalists and media workers were killed over the past year, with the Israeli military being held responsible for nearly two-thirds of those deaths.

This marks the second consecutive year of record-high fatalities, making 2025 the deadliest year for the media since the CPJ began its data tracking over three decades ago. The report, released on Wednesday, highlights the extreme dangers journalists face, particularly in conflict zones.

“Journalists are being killed at an unprecedented rate at a time when access to information is more critical than ever,” said Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the CPJ, in a powerful statement. “When journalists are killed for doing their jobs, we are all put at risk. The world cannot afford to look away.”

The report’s most alarming finding points to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. More than three-quarters of all journalist deaths in 2025 occurred in armed conflicts, with the war in Gaza being the epicenter. The CPJ documented that over 60% of the 86 media professionals killed by Israeli fire were Palestinians reporting from within the devastated Gaza Strip. The Israeli military maintains its official position that it does not intentionally target journalists, a claim repeatedly challenged by press freedom organizations given the high number of strikes on media workers.

Beyond the conflict in Gaza, the report also documented a concerning rise in journalist casualties in other war zones. Fatalities in both Ukraine and Sudan saw a sharp increase compared to the previous year. The CPJ noted a particularly troubling trend: the growing use of drone strikes against journalists. They recorded 39 such incidents, including 28 attributed to Israel in Gaza, five linked to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, and four in Ukraine, where journalists were killed by Russian military drones. This marks the highest annual toll for media workers in the Ukraine war since 2022, when 15 journalists were killed.

The report also underscored the pervasive issue of impunity, which continues to endanger journalists far from the battlefield. In Mexico, six journalists were killed in 2025, and all of those cases remain unsolved, highlighting the chronic violence and lack of justice for crimes against the press in the country. In the Philippines, three journalists were shot dead.

Other journalists lost their lives while investigating crime and corruption. A journalist in Bangladesh was fatally stabbed by suspects linked to a fraud network. Similar cases connected to organized crime were also recorded in India and Peru. These deaths, the CPJ argues, are a direct consequence of a “culture of impunity” that allows killers to operate without fear of consequences, leaving journalists increasingly vulnerable as they strive to inform the public.

 

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