The past year was exceptionally deadly for journalism – 128 journalists and media workers were killed around the world
A total of 128 journalists and media workers, including 10 women, lost their lives during 2025, the International Federation announced journalists (IFJ) in the final report on the victims.
Region Middle East it is the area with the most journalists killed, according to the report.
As it is added, currently, according to IFJ data, there are 533 journalists in prisons around the world.
The list also includes nine deaths that the IFJ cites as “accident“.
An extremely deadly year
The Federation, in a statement on its official website, assessed that it was another extremely deadly year for journalism.
The statement also cited the continued failure of governments around the world to protect media workers.
The IFJ called for urgent and decisive measures to end the cycle of violence and impunity in 2026.
Attacks on journalists in Serbia
According to data from the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office, four times more physical attacks on journalists were reported in 2025 than in 2024. Verbal attacks were almost daily.
Mode ratio Aleksandar Vučić according to the attacks on professional journalists, i.e. the practical impunity of those who verbally, but increasingly physically, very aggressively tear at journalists, is a clear indication that the government and the state do not want to protect journalists from attacks, because they would have to sanction themselves, it was written earlier “Time“.
High state and party officials unreservedly and maliciously, in their public appearances and addresses to the media, and through targeting, disparagement – and increasingly unconcealed threats – only further incite aggression towards journalists.
That is why the narrative that only the public remains as the protection of journalists is slowly but surely becoming the prevailing opinion, whereby the safety of journalists is handed over from the hands of state institutions (which by all their powers should protect all citizens, including journalists) to the hands of an amorphous, vaguely defined public that is characterized by only one constant – voluntary arbitrariness in actions.
In such an insecure environment, the question is whether anyone can really stand up to protect journalists, and what the public, if it really is the only remaining protection for journalists, should do.
Source: Tanjug/Vreme
