An analysis of new media causalities carried out for the international News Safety Institute by Cardiff School of Journalism.
INSI’s annual report on media casualties has been released. Download it here.
The death toll among journalists in Gaza was staggering, almost incomprehensible. Data compiled for Killing the Messenger by the Cardiff School of Journalism showed that 81 of the 145 journalists who died around the world were from Gaza.
To get a real sense of scale, in a country the size of Britain, this would equate to over 2,500 journalist deaths in a year.
Along with our colleagues in the media freedom and safety sphere, we raised our voices throughout the year about the depth of these injustices and the magnitude of their impact—not only on the victims and their families but on society at large.
Journalists are vital witnesses to war crimes and atrocities, meaning silencing them is an attack on truth itself. Without them, violence and injustice can more easily be perpetrated on us all—a message that has failed to resonate with Western governments. Their deafening silence in the face of Israel’s relentless killing and targeting of media workers has shattered moral thresholds and marked a point of no return.
But it will not prevent us from mourning and celebrating our colleagues, whose selfless commitment to report the facts is an inspiration to us all.
We have named every single one of our colleagues who was killed in 2024, not only from Gaza but also from Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mexico, Ukraine, Colombia, Myanmar, Iraq, India, DRC, Haiti, Honduras, Cambodia, Chad, Indonesia, Russia, and Somalia.
This year’s report also features a series of moving portraits of journalists created by the artist and illustrator Gianluca Costantini, whose portraiture of those killed in Gaza is here accompanied by journalists killed across continents.
“My portraits,” Gianluca says, “stand as a rejection of the attempts to erase these journalists’ legacy, affirming the significance and dignity of their lives and work. I aim to capture their essence and individuality as a reminder that behind every name lies a story, a family, and a commitment to the truth. I wish to honor the bravery required to face threats and violence and the price paid for speaking out.”
Our colleagues’ courage and love for journalism are a much-needed antidote to the impotence and hopelessness many now feel about our profession, its purpose, its impact.
The portraits mourn lives cut short and futures left unrealized, honoring the bravery it takes to reveal the truth in the face of danger. Each calls us to remember and to act: to demand justice, defend press freedom, and ensure no more lives are lost in this way.
As you read this report, we invite you to truly see these faces. See their strength and humanity. The fight for truth is not theirs alone—it belongs to all of us.
