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CPJ: 129 journalists killed in 2025, a new record

26 February 2026 · Velours newsroom

Memorial de los Reporteros en Bayeux, Francia, con los nombres de periodistas muertos en su trabajo
Memorial de los Reporteros en Bayeux, Francia, con los nombres de periodistas muertos en su trabajo · Photo: Romain Bréget (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported on 25 February 2026 that 129 journalists and media workers were killed in 2025, the highest figure since the organization began its records in 1992 and the second consecutive annual record.

According to the report, Israel was responsible for two-thirds of the deaths, most of them Palestinian journalists in Gaza. CPJ classified 47 cases as targeted killings — the highest number in the past decade — and counted at least 104 deaths in conflict settings. Sudan, Ukraine, Mexico and the Philippines also figure among the countries with victims.

The organization stressed that impunity remains the norm and called on governments for independent, transparent investigations in every case.

Source: CPJ, 2025 report.