Record 129 journalists killed in 2025 globally—2/3 by Israel
A record 129 members of the news media were killed worldwide in 2025, two-thirds of them by Israel, according to an annual report by a New York-based nonprofit organization released Wednesday.
In Asia, the Philippines was top with three journalists killed last year, putting it fifth on the overall list. All were fatally shot, including veteran publisher Juan Dayang, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
It was the second consecutive year of record press killings, up from 126 in 2024, since the group began compiling the tally in 1992.
Israel was responsible for two-thirds of the total killings in 2025, the group said, largely due to its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
More than 60 percent of the 86 members of the press killed by Israeli fire were Palestinians reporting from Gaza, according to the report.
“Attacks on the media are a leading indicator of attacks on other freedoms, and much more needs to be done to prevent these killings and punish the perpetrators,” said the committee’s CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “We are all at risk when journalists are killed for reporting the news.”
