The Committee to Protect Journalists recently reported that 124 journalists were killed worldwide in 2024, nearly 70% of them by Israel. This is the highest number of journalist killings since CPJ began its record in 1992. CPJ found an especially sharp increase in the deaths of freelance journalists, and UNESCO has reported an increase in journalist deaths in conflict zones. Media organizations and global entities like Reporters Without Borders are calling for increased protections for journalists, and an end to impunity for those responsible for their deaths.

More than a third of the deaths reported by CPJ this year were of freelancers, a substantial increase from previous years. “The typical freelancer frequently works alone, without staffers’ access to protective equipment, security guards, insurance for medical treatment, or benefits that would help surviving family members,” CPJ explained in a special report on February 12. In addition to Israel, other countries with journalist deaths in 2024 include Haiti, India, Iraq, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sudan, Honduras, Russia, Ukraine, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.

In its special report, CPJ called for governments to “publicly acknowledge and condemn journalist killings, and refrain from political rhetoric that vilifies journalists for their work and contributes to an environment that compromises their safety and diminishes the political will to protect them and deliver justice.” Similar calls to action have been made by media organizations worldwide, particularly in response to Israel’s violent campaign against reporters and the dissemination of truth. In October, Al Jazeera published a statement condemning the killings of journalists by Israel and demanding “an immediate end to the targeted killings and continuous harassment of journalists by the Israeli Occupation Forces.”

Due to severe restrictions on foreign media access to Gaza, the burden of reporting has been placed on Palestinian journalists, who have continued their work while facing genocide. In a January publication, Reporters Without Borders Director General Thibaut Bruttin stated that “Gaza’s reporters are the pride of journalism.” In light of the recent ceasefire agreement, he has called for the ICC to prosecute perpetrators of war crimes against journalists in Gaza, and for international journalists to be allowed into the area.

In addition to CPJ, UNESCO also tracks global journalist deaths in its “Observatory of Killed Journalists.” CPJ and UNESCO’s numbers from 2024 are very similar, though not identical. Despite CPJ’s higher total death count (124 vs 82), UNESCO reported slightly higher numbers for most individual countries—the major outlier being Israel. In 2024, CPJ recorded 82 killings of journalists in Israel and Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory, while UNESCO reported none in Israel and 20 in the State of Palestine. Israel, notably, is one of only two countries that are not part of UNESCO and is the only country that does not at least have a UNESCO National Organizing Committee.

This outlines some of the difficulties in reporting statistics on violence against journalists. The CPJ states that it often takes months or years to verify cases, which can be especially difficult in conflict zones. UNESCO regularly requests case updates from its member states, but not all comply. Additionally, most journalist killings go unpunished. UNESCO’s most recent biennial report found a 4% drop in impunity from 2018, but the percentage remains high at 85%. The murder of journalists and violent repression of information is dangerous to our societies and jeopardizes global health and peace. The suppression of media supports violence, discrimination, and in the worst cases, genocide. Global governments need to step up and demand transparency and an end to impunity for violence against journalists. Said Al Jazeera in its October statement: “The precedent being set in Gaza threatens the very foundation of press freedom worldwide.”