Driven primarily by Israel’s lethal attacks on journalists in Gaza, Iran, and Yemen, the global death toll of journalists and media workers in 2025 has reached 126 so far. Rising violence in Sudan, Mexico, Ukraine, and the Philippines has also contributed to the surge.
“Amid growing global turmoil, reliable information is more essential than ever, yet journalists continue to be killed at unprecedented rates,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. In far too many cases, the perpetrators face no consequences. Another record year of killings shows that the world is still failing to confront the crisis of violence against the press.
Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in 2023, Israel has killed nearly 250 journalists, more than any country has been responsible for since CPJ began tracking journalist fatalities in 1992.
This year alone, Israel is responsible for the deaths of at least 86 journalists and media workers, according to CPJ’s findings, including killings that occurred after the October ceasefire. Numerous cases indicate deliberate targeting. CPJ has repeatedly urged international bodies to hold Israel accountable for actions that human rights organizations and U.N. experts widely describe as genocide.
Escalating conflicts are also driving a rise in civilian casualties worldwide. In Sudan, nine journalists were killed this year, bringing the total to 15 over the two-year civil war, during which reporters have been abducted, raped, and forcibly displaced by the Rapid Support Forces. In Ukraine, four journalists were killed by Russian forces, up from just one recorded death in 2024.
Meanwhile, criminal violence and entrenched political corruption continue to fuel a wave of unresolved journalist murders. Mexico registered six killings in 2025, up from five last year. In the Philippines, the number rose sharply from zero in 2024 to three. Authorities have made no arrests linked to the killings in Mexico, and only one arrest in the Philippines, with no confirmation that the crimes were tied to the journalists’ reporting. These nations, along with Iraq, India, and Pakistan, have maintained a troubling pattern of journalist deaths in 2025, a trend that has persisted for nearly 30 years.
At Free Press Alliance, we strongly condemn this alarming rise in journalist killings. We reject systematic violence, deliberate targeting, and a climate of impunity that continues to endanger reporters worldwide. Silencing the press through intimidation or murder is an attack on every community’s right to information. We call on international institutions and national governments to take urgent, coordinated action to hold perpetrators accountable, protect media workers in conflict and high-risk environments, and ensure that journalism can be practiced freely and safely everywhere.