(Image via cbc.ca)

Staff Writer: Gwen Pichette

Email: gpichette@umassd.edu

2024 was one of the deadliest years for journalists, with 124 journalists killed—the most recorded since the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) first started collecting data 30 years ago.

In comparison, 102 journalists were killed in 2023, and 69 were killed in 2020 according to the committee’s database.

This steady rise in deaths has raised concerns about the lack of safety for journalists. They are given little to no protection while reporting in dangerous war zones and are often inadequately compensated for their risky work. 

The CEO of CPJ, Jodie Ginsberg, said that “it is the most dangerous time to be a journalist in CPJ’s history.”

This is due to increased global conflict—most notably the war and genocide in Gaza.

“The war in Gaza is unprecedented in its impact on journalists and demonstrates a major deterioration in global norms on protecting journalists in conflict zones, but it is far from the only place journalists are in danger. Our figures show journalists under attack worldwide,” Ginsberg said in a statement. 

The 124 deaths occurred across 18 different countries. 

After Gaza, Sudan and Pakistan are the deadliest places for journalists. Journalist deaths were also reported in Mexico, Syria, Myanmar, Iraq, Haiti, Mozambique, India, Afghanistan, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Somalia, and Ukraine. 

70% of those deaths were due to the Israeli military in Gaza, with 82 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza. 

This has led to numerous accusations that Israel is deliberately targeting media workers—accusations which Israel has stoutly denied. 

A report from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), stated “The IDF has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists.” They attribute the deaths to the inherent risks of “remaining in an active combat zone.” 

The report went on to justify the deaths with a list of the deceased who the IDF claimed to have “actively participated in and led terror efforts against Israel.”

The names included in the report are as follows: Mustafa Thuria, Hamza al-Dahdouh, Ismail Abu Omar, Hazma Murtaja, and Ismail Al-Ghoul.

Last July, Al-Ghoul and his cameraman were among those killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza. His employer, Al Jazeera, denounced the “baseless allegations made by the Israeli occupation forces” that attempted to justify the deliberate killings of his colleagues. 

Additionally, the official figures of deaths in Gaza overall are also believed to be severely underestimated. On June 30, 2024, the Gaza Health Ministry reported 37,877 deaths, but according to a peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet , it was estimated to be at least 64,200 by that date.

This means that the true number of journalists killed could potentially be inaccurate due to obtaining an accurate death toll in war time is challenging.

This number could also be underrepresented because CPJ has found that countries where journalists are deliberately killed “bur[ied] evidence of killings, shift blame, and avoid accountability.” 

A number of recommendations to improve safety for journalists was included in CPJ’s 2024 report, including the establishment of an investigative task force that will be focused on uncovering the crimes against journalists. 

The Committee also found that at least 24 of the 124 killed were deliberately targeted for the news they were reporting, along with 10 of those cases being undocumented.

However, this does not mean that the remaining deaths were lawful, but rather that there is still evidence being gathered at this time. 

“Conditions can grow more lethal for the press when those who kill journalists are not held to account. And fewer journalists means less information for citizens seeking the truth,” the CPJ said. 

Already, in just the first few weeks of 2025, at least six journalists and media workers have been killed. 

The Committee to Protect Journalists also affirmed that despite the challenges, they will not stop with their reports and investigations. In a post on X, the Committee said, “Every journalist killed is the loss of a truth-teller. Those who chronicle our reality and hold power to account deserve justice. We will not stop seeking it.”