MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Last year was the deadliest for reporters, CPJ survey finds

The organization claimed Israel accounted for over 70% of the casualties

Over 70% of newspeople killed last year while on the job deaths were attributed to Israeli actions by a report released Wednesday by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Israel's Defense Forces (IDF) were said to have been behind the demise of 82 Palestinian journalists in Gaza and three in Lebanon.

While the CPJ argued that targeting journalists as terrorists without evidence was becoming increasingly common, the IDF insisted they had “never, and will never, deliberately target[ed] journalists.” In addition, Tel Aviv contended that there was not enough information provided on the alleged incidents to check them.

Overall, 124 media professionals were killed violently in 2024, marking a 22% increase from 2023. The war in Gaza was a significant factor in the rise, making 2024 the deadliest year for journalists since CPJ began recording. Countries like Sudan, Pakistan, and Mexico also saw their numbers soar.

The report also noted that many of these reporters were freelancers - 43 of them - devoid of the same resources as those who work for large-size outlets. The document also condemned the slow and non-transparent investigations into journalists' deaths on behalf of local authorities who “share a common manual that helps them evade responsibility and deny justice for murdered journalists.” The CPJ's survey also underscored the deteriorating global norms for protecting journalists in conflict zones. This Gaza conflict contributed significantly to the increase in last year's tally of 124 media professionals killed.

Some governments “stifle investigation of incidents, blame the victims themselves, and most simply ignore their duty to hold the killers accountable. Israel has used all of these tactics even before the last war began,” the CPJ stressed.

Israel's strategy of blaming the victims as combatants was also to be found in countries such as Sudan and Burma, where journalists are treated as enemies rather than civilians. In Syria, the now-deposed regime of former President Bashar Al Assad has not been held accountable for persecuting and killing journalists for years, the organization also pointed out.

“Today is the most dangerous time to be a journalist in CPJ's history. The war in Gaza is unprecedented in its impact on journalists and demonstrates a significant deterioration in global standards for the protection of journalists in conflict zones, but it is far from the only place where journalists are at risk,” noted CPJ Executive Director Jodie Ginsberg in a statement.

At least six journalists and media workers have been killed so far in 2025, the CPJ also said. In Latin America, Mexico was the deadliest country for media professionals with five reporters killed last year. Haiti recorded two casualties followed by Colombia and Honduras with one each.