More journalists were killed in 2024 than in any other year since the CPJ began collecting data over three decades ago. Seventy per cent of the journalists who lost their lives while performing their duties were killed by Israel. Many of them had clearly displayed “Press” markings at the time of their death, leading the CPJ to classify these instances as murder.
A worldwide total of 124 journalists were killed in 18 countries last year, according to the report. This constitutes a 22 per cent increase over 2023. The unprecedented annual toll is an indicator of the rise in organised violence and a reflection of current global turmoil. However, the ICJ attributed the increase primarily to the large number of journalists and media personnel killed by Israel in the course of the year.
Two-thirds of the worldwide total, or 85 journalists, were assassinated by Israeli Occupation Forces, 82 in Gaza and 3 in Lebanon. Most were Palestinian, but journalists of other nationalities also ended up in Israeli crosshairs.
The next deadliest countries for journalists after Israel were Sudan and Pakistan, with six journalists killed in each in 2024. Pakistan recorded none the previous year. Haiti, Mexico, Myanmar, Mozambique, India, and Iraq came next in terms of cases ranked “murder”.
“Today is the most dangerous time to be a journalist in CPJ’s history,” wrote CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg in the introduction to the report. “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.”
Given last year’s record number, it is not surprising that the CPJ report should include a recommendation calling for the establishment of an international investigative task force focused on crimes against journalists.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 27 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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