Journalist Killings Rise: Global Impunity Hits Record High, UNESCO Report Warns

UNESCO's release also reports that 85 journalists were killed in non-conflict settings, describing this as the lowest number recorded in eighteen years.

The global failure to bring killers of journalists to justice has worsened for the first time since UNESCO began tracking the issue in 2012, raising fresh concerns about the safety of reporters working in increasingly dangerous environments. UNESCO's latest Director-General's Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity found that the global impunity rate reached 86% during 2024–2025, compared with 85% in the previous two-year period. The report was released to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, observed on 2 November.

The deteriorating accountability picture comes alongside a sharp increase in journalist deaths, with UNESCO recording 189 journalists killed during 2024 and 2025, representing a 20% increase from the previous biennium. More than two-thirds of those deaths, involving 127 journalists, occurred in conflict zones where reporters increasingly work amid military operations, air strikes and rapidly changing battlefield technologies. The findings underline how reporting from wars has become more dangerous at the same time that many perpetrators of attacks against journalists continue to escape prosecution.

UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany called for stronger protection of journalists working in conflict situations and renewed attention to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2222, which recognizes journalists, media professionals and associated personnel as civilians during armed conflict. He stressed that reporters are increasingly losing their lives for documenting events from the frontlines, with accountability often failing to follow after fatal attacks. Their civilian status was also reaffirmed in the Pact for the Future, reinforcing international obligations to protect media workers covering wars and humanitarian crises.

Drone Warfare Creates a Growing Threat for Reporters

One of the most troubling developments identified by UNESCO is the growing role of unmanned aerial vehicles in journalist deaths, as drone warfare changes the risks facing reporters working close to conflict zones. Fifty journalists were killed by drone strikes during 2024–2025, accounting for around 40% of journalists killed in conflict settings during the reporting period. The figures indicate that reporters now face threats from weapons capable of reaching locations that may previously have been considered relatively protected reporting positions.

UNESCO documented seven incidents in which several journalists were killed during the same attack, including strikes against media workplaces and temporary reporting centres used by journalists covering active conflicts. Fifteen journalists were reportedly killed despite wearing press vests or travelling in vehicles clearly marked with the word "press," raising concerns about whether visible identification is providing enough protection during military operations. These incidents strengthen calls for armed forces and governments to respect the civilian status of journalists and ensure that media facilities and identifiable reporting teams are protected.

Accountability Improves Outside Conflict Zones

The global increase in impunity contrasts with a more encouraging trend in countries not affected by armed conflict, where UNESCO says the percentage of unresolved journalist killings has steadily declined. Impunity in non-conflict countries fell from 94% in 2012 to 77% in 2026, representing an average reduction of around one percentage point each year since UNESCO began its measurement. The decline suggests that sustained investigations, prosecutions and stronger protection mechanisms can improve accountability when governments give journalist safety greater institutional attention.

UNESCO's release also reports that 85 journalists were killed in non-conflict settings, describing this as the lowest number recorded in eighteen years. The organization sees this decline as evidence that stronger criminal investigations, effective prosecution and practical safety measures can reduce both violence and impunity when national authorities commit resources to protecting journalists. Such progress provides an important contrast with conflict zones, where the expanding use of military technologies and weak accountability systems continue to expose reporters to severe risks.

Women Journalists Face Violence On the Ground and Online

Women journalists remain particularly exposed to violence connected with conflict reporting, with UNESCO recording 14 women journalists killed during 2024–2025 and reporting that 93% of them died while covering conflicts. Their relatively smaller share of recorded journalist killings does not reflect the wider range of threats they experience, because women working in media frequently face harassment, intimidation and abuse both online and in physical environments. Digital attacks can also move beyond social platforms and contribute to real-world threats that affect personal safety, professional work and freedom of expression.

A 2025 study by UN Women and the International Center for Journalists found that 75% of women journalists surveyed had experienced online or offline abuse and harassment. The share of women reporting physical violence linked to online abuse also more than doubled compared with UNESCO's 2020 survey, rising from 20% to more than 40% in 2025. These findings show that journalist protection cannot focus only on killings, because intimidation, digital harassment and physical violence can also push reporters away from important stories and weaken the public's access to independent information.

UNESCO's latest findings present a difficult global picture in which more journalists are being killed, and a greater share of those crimes remain unresolved, especially in places affected by armed conflict. The improvement recorded in non-conflict countries shows that stronger investigations, prosecutions and journalist protection systems can reduce impunity when authorities consistently enforce them. Protecting reporters from battlefield attacks, emerging military technologies, online abuse and targeted violence remains central to preserving press freedom and ensuring that people can receive reliable information during crises.