In 2023, Over 70% of Journalists Killed Were Palestinian, Report Says

More than 70% of journalists killed worldwide by 2023 will be Palestinian journalists killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to a new report released Wednesday

Of the 99 killings of journalists and journalists identified by the Committee to Protect Journalists last year, 77 were killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Most of them — 72 — were Palestinian journalists killed in Israeli attacks, including three Lebanese and two Israeli journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in its annual report

“This is unprecedented,” CPJ CEO Jody Ginsberg told VOA. “We are totally dependent on the Palestinian media, which not only report on the conflict but live through it, and bring us news and information from Gaza.”

The killing of journalists in the Israeli-Hamas conflict continues until 2024. As of February 14 of this year, 11 new Palestinian journalists have been killed in the conflict, according to CPJ

Last year, the number of journalists killed in the world since 2015. In 2023, the killing of journalists represented an increase of about 44% from 2022 and at least 78 murders a CPJ found that it involved labor costs

“Journalists are killed for a reason. And that’s because the work we’re doing matters,” Ginsburg said.

A major part of the problem is impunity. CPJ research shows that of the nearly 1,000 killings of journalists documented by the press freedom group since 1992, nearly 80% are completely innocent.

“There is a clear correlation between the failure of journalist killers to be held accountable and the environment in which journalists continue to be killed,” Ginsberg said.

The perpetrators of one of the most horrific killings of journalists last year — Martinez Zogo of Cameroon — continue to enjoy impunity. In January 2023, Zogo's body was found naked and badly mutilated on the outskirts of the capital, Yaoundé, CPJ said.

According to Ginsburg, the brutal killings caused some reporters in the country to flee into exile for safety.

“So, the killing of journalists doesn’t just affect those journalists. It also has a ripple effect,” he said.

According to Ginsberg, Israel is also part of the problem of impunity. Israeli forces have killed at least 20 journalists — including 18 Palestinians — in the past 22 years, according to a May 2023 CPJ report. No one has been held accountable for that murder.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry did not respond to an email from VOA seeking comment.

Despite the shocking number of journalists killed in Gaza, killings of journalists have declined elsewhere in the world, with 22 people killed in 18 countries last year. By comparison, CPJ documented 69 journalist deaths worldwide by 2022 .

Mexico executed a record 13 journalists in 2022, but two in 2023. In contrast, Ukraine executed 13 journalists in 2023.

However, Ginsberg is quick to add that there are still threats to press freedom around the world.

Referring to the rise in imprisonment of journalists, as well as cyberbullying and physical attacks against journalists, he said: “While murders may have decreased elsewhere, journalists certainly security has not improved.”