Killings of journalists stay unpunished in 86% of cases, UNESCO report finds

Global impunity for the killing of journalists has risen for the first time in more than a decade, according to a report by the UN cultural agency UNESCO.

The rate of killings that go unpunished reached 86 per cent in 2024-25, up one percentage point from the previous two-year period. UNESCO began measuring it in 2012. A confirmed 189 journalists and other media workers died in 2024-25, 20 per cent more than in the previous biennium and the highest number since 2014-15. More than two-thirds, 127 or 67 per cent, were killed in conflict zones.

Where and how

Killings were recorded in every region. The most verified cases were in the Arab States (97), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (37), Asia-Pacific (34), Central and Eastern Europe (14), Africa (6) and Western Europe and North America (1). The State of Palestine had the highest number in both years, at 30 and 32.

UNESCO called the growing use of drones "a disturbing new threat". Drone strikes killed 50 journalists in 2024-25, or 40 per cent of those killed in conflict zones. It documented seven incidents in which several journalists were killed in a single attack, and said 15 were reportedly killed wearing press vests or in vehicles marked "Press".

What officials said

"Journalists are increasingly paying with their lives for reporting from the frontlines of war and far too often those responsible for their killings are not held accountable," said UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at least 34 journalists were killed over the past year and that in conflict settings the impunity rate is close to 100 per cent.

The report is published every two years to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, observed on 2 November.