Global impunity for journalist killings rises for the first time in more than a decade

Global impunity for journalist killings has risen for the first time in more than a decade, while the growing use of drones is an emerging threat for reporters in conflict zones, according to the latest Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity from the UN cultural organization UNESCO.

The measured share of killings that went unpunished reached 86 percent in 2024-2025, up one percent from the previous two-year period. UNESCO first began measuring that proportion in 2012. In the same biennium, a confirmed total of 189 journalists and other media workers lost their lives, 20 percent more than during the previous biennium and the highest number since 2014-2015. More than two thirds, 127, were killed in conflict zones, accounting for 67 percent of the death toll. The figures refer to journalists and other media workers counted in that UNESCO report.

Female journalists face widespread gender-based violence, harassment, and intimidation both online and in the field. UN News. Director-General Khaled El-Enany 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. The findings appear in the biennial report published to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, observed on 2 November.

In his message for the Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that over the past year 34 journalists paid the ultimate price, that six of every seven such killings go unpunished, and that in conflict settings the rate of impunity is close to 100 percent. He described that pattern as a heinous affront to the victims and their loved ones, as well as all who depend on journalists to remain informed and engaged.