By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed in the course of their work last year. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released these findings on February 25, 2026, in its annual report. This marks the second straight year that press killings set a record. It is also the second straight year that Israel was responsible for two-thirds of them. The CPJ is a US-based independent organisation which documents attacks on the press.
Deadly Strikes and Unprecedented Tolls
Israeli fire killed 86 journalists in 2025. Most of those killed were Palestinians in Gaza. The toll also included 31 workers killed in an attack on a Houthi media centre in Yemen. The CPJ identified this as the second deadliest attack the organization has ever recorded.
The report notes that the “Israeli military has now committed more targeted killings of the press than any other government’s military on record.” This assessment comes more than three decades after the CPJ started collecting data. A significant driver of this record was the surge in drone-led strikes; the CPJ documented 39 drone killings globally in 2025, with Israel responsible for 28 of them.
Targeted Killings and Verification Barriers
Israel was responsible for 81 percent of the 47 killings that the CPJ classified as intentionally targeted, or “murder”. The organization said the actual figure was probably higher. Access restrictions have made verification difficult in Gaza.
Israel’s military did not respond to a request for comment regarding the report. It has said in the past that its troops in Gaza target only combatants. The military maintains that operating in combat zones carries “inherent risks.”
Allegations of Militant Links
In several cases, Israel has acknowledged targeting journalists in Gaza it said had links to Hamas. It has done so without providing verifiable evidence. International news organisations have strongly denied that slain reporters had links to militants.
The CPJ called such allegations by Israel “deadly smears.” Because Israel does not permit foreign journalists to enter Gaza, all the media workers killed there were Palestinians. Israel acknowledged targeting the media centre in Yemen in September. It described the center at the time as a “propaganda arm of the Houthis.”
The Case of Hussam al-Masri
Those killed last year included Reuters journalist Hussam al-Masri. He was killed by Israeli fire in August while operating a live video feed at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regretted the attack as a “tragic mishap.” The strike also killed four other journalists. The Israeli military had said it targeted a Hamas camera. However, a Reuters investigation found the device belonged to Reuters.
Conflict Zones in Sudan and Ukraine
At least 104 of the 129 journalists killed died in connection with conflicts. Apart from Gaza and Yemen, the deadliest countries include Sudan, where nine were killed.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)—the global body representing over 600,000 media workers—noted that Sudan remains the epicentre of journalist killings in Africa. The IFJ, which operates through its Africa Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal, documented these deaths primarily at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Six journalists died in Mexico. Russian forces killed four Ukrainian journalists, utilizing military drones in all four instances. Three journalists died in the Philippines. Russia has denied deliberately targeting journalists. It has accused Ukraine of targeting Russian reporters. Kyiv denies those claims. There was no immediate comment from Russia’s embassy in Washington to the CPJ report.
Intimidation in Ghana and the African Crisis
While the Middle East remains the deadliest region, Africa saw 18 media workers killed in 2025. In Ghana, press freedom faced one of its toughest seasons, with over 60 verified incidents of harassment and intimidation recorded. Security agencies and political actors have been linked to the majority of these attacks, including physical assaults on reporters covering party offices.
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has issued ultimatums to state agencies following attacks on journalists from Class FM and Citi FM. Experts warn of a “season of intimidation” that threatens to erode Ghana’s status as a democratic model. Across West Africa, the weaponization of cybercrime laws and the use of state security to silence dissent have created a pervasive chilling effect.
A Global Crisis of Accountability
The unprecedented violence has triggered a diplomatic firestorm. The CPJ has formally petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) to include the targeting of journalists in its ongoing investigations into war crimes. In response to the 2025 data, United Nations Special Rapporteurs have called for a global “protection mechanism” specifically for local reporters who lack the logistical support of major international bureaus.
The record number of deaths underscores the need for African governments to protect the press from both state and non-state violence. The CPJ and IFJ warn that 2025 established a “new normal” where the murder of journalists is used as a systematic tool of information control. Impunity remains the greatest threat, as very few transparent investigations have been conducted into the 47 cases of targeted murder documented this year.
