By Trendsetter Tribune 
NEW YORK / GENEVA — The year 2025 has been officially designated the deadliest year for journalists and media workers since global data collection began more than three decades ago. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 129 members of the press were killed in 2025, surpassing the previous record set just one year prior.
The staggering death toll—driven largely by the ongoing conflict in Gaza and surging violence in Sudan, Mexico, and Ukraine—has led press freedom advocates to declare a “global red alert” for the profession.
Record-Breaking Casualties: The Data
For the second consecutive year, press fatalities reached an all-time high. Organizations differ slightly on final counts due to varying methodologies, but all agree 2025 was a year of unprecedented loss.
| Organization | 2025 Death Toll | Key Geographic Drivers |
| CPJ | 129 | Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Mexico, Philippines |
| IFJ | 128 | Middle East (Gaza/Yemen), Ukraine, Sudan |
| UNESCO | 93 | Conflict zones (60% of total) |
| RSF | 67 | Focused on “targeted for work” only |
“Journalists are being killed in record numbers at a time when access to information is more important than ever. We are all at risk when journalists are killed for reporting the news.” — Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ CEO
The “Gaza Exception” and State Targeting
The most significant factor in the record-breaking numbers remains the conflict in Gaza.
- The Two-Thirds Figure: For the second straight year, CPJ attributed two-thirds of all global journalist deaths to the actions of the Israeli military. In 2025 alone, Israeli fire killed 86 journalists and media workers, the vast majority being Palestinians reporting from within Gaza.
- Targeted Killings: CPJ documented 47 cases of “murder”—journalists intentionally targeted for their work—marking the highest such number in a decade. Israel was responsible for 81% of these targeted instances.
- Houthi Media Attack: One of the deadliest single incidents involved an Israeli strike on a Houthi media center in Yemen in September 2025, which claimed the lives of 31 media workers.
The Rise of “Drone Warfare” on the Press
A disturbing new trend emerged in 2025: the surge of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) used to silence reporters.
- Statistical Surge: Drone-related journalist deaths rose from just two in 2023 to 39 in 2025.
- Global Use:
- Israel: Used drones to kill 28 journalists in Gaza.
- Sudan: The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) used drones in 5 documented killings.
- Russia: Utilized Lancet drones to target and kill 4 Ukrainian and foreign journalists in the Kramatorsk region.
Impunity and “Deadly Smears”
Advocacy groups are sounding the alarm not just over the killings, but over the complete lack of accountability that follows.
- Zero Justice: Very few transparent investigations were conducted into the 47 targeted murders in 2025. In Mexico, all six documented journalist killings remain unsolved.+1
- Character Assassination: CPJ condemned what it calls “deadly smears”—state efforts to label slain journalists as “terrorists” or “combatants” without evidence to justify the killings and avoid international condemnation.
- Authoritarian Jailers: Beyond the killings, more than 300 journalists remained imprisoned globally as of late 2025, with China, Israel, and Myanmar cited as the worst offenders.
What’s Next?
Human rights groups are calling for radical reforms, including the establishment of an international investigative task force and the imposition of targeted sanctions on military leaders found responsible for targeting the press.