99 journalists killed in 2023, 72 in Gaza war: report
The Hindu
2023 saw the highest number of journalist killings in a decade, with 72 deaths in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Seventy-two of the 99 journalists killed in 2023 were killed in the Israel-Hamas war, making the last 12 months the deadliest for the media in almost a decade, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on February 15.
Killings of reporters would have dropped globally year-on-year had it not been for the deaths in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon, the CPJ said, although fatalities were stable in Somalia and the Philippines.
The toll is the highest since 2015 and an increase of nearly 44% on 2022's figures.
"In December 2023, CPJ reported that more journalists were killed in the first three months of the Israel-Gaza war than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire year," the CPJ said.
The 72 journalists killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict also include three Lebanese and two Israeli victims, the organisation said.
"Journalists in Gaza are bearing witness on the frontlines," said CPJ chief executive Jodie Ginsberg.
"The immense loss suffered by Palestinian journalists in this war will have long-term impacts for journalism not just in the Palestinian territories but for the region and beyond. Every journalist killed is a further blow to our understanding of the world."