Akshay DidwaniyaA fresh UNESCO report reveals 189 journalists were killed in 2024 and 2025, with most deaths linked to armed conflicts and drone strikes.
Deadliest Two-Year Period Since 2014
Journalist killings around the world climbed by 20 percent during 2024 and 2025, reaching a total of 189 deaths. Most victims lost their lives in active war zones, including drone strikes, a new UNESCO report has revealed.
The report states: “The number of killings of journalists, media workers and journalistic content creators on social media during 2024–2025, compared with 2022–2023, rose by 20 percent to 189 cases. These two years recorded the highest number of killings since the 2014–2015 period.”
This makes 2024-2025 the worst stretch for journalist killings in over a decade. The report also notes that 2025 alone claimed more media lives than any other single year in the past eight years. Armed conflict, including drone attacks, caused the majority of these deaths.
Where Journalists Are Dying
Arab states recorded the highest regional death toll, with 97 journalists killed. Latin America and the Caribbean followed, losing 37 media professionals during the same period.
Palestine suffered the single heaviest losses of any location. UNESCO data shows at least 62 media workers were killed there over the two-year span, making it the deadliest place on earth for journalists.
The report also tracked smaller but significant tolls elsewhere. Twelve journalists were killed in Ukraine during this period, while two lost their lives in Russia.
Russia Says Victims Ignored
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pushed back on the report’s coverage. She stressed that the names of many Russian journalists killed by militants from the Kyiv regime were once again left out of UNESCO’s latest safety report.
Zakharova’s comments add to an ongoing dispute between Moscow and international bodies over how journalist deaths tied to the Ukraine conflict get documented and recognized.
Pratik Agrawal
Mayur Mohta
Aditya Didwaniya