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June 03, 2025 – Ireland –
Journalists in Northern Ireland are working under increasing levels of fear due to ongoing threats, violence, and intimidation by paramilitary groups and criminal gangs, according to a new Amnesty International report. The study, Occupational Hazard?, paints a grim picture of what it calls the most dangerous region in the UK for media workers.
Since 2019, more than 70 incidents involving threats or attacks on journalists have been recorded. These include direct death threats, physical assaults, threats of bombs under cars, and messages demanding reporters leave the country within 48 hours. Despite the seriousness of these threats, not a single paramilitary-related case has resulted in prosecution, reinforcing a sense of impunity for those responsible.
Journalists report having to take extensive security measures, such as installing bulletproof windows and panic alarms. Some have had to leave their homes, and others have suffered physical assaults or property damage. Two reporters—Lyra McKee and Martin O’Hagan—have been killed in recent years, yet no one has been held accountable for their deaths.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) supports Amnesty’s findings and warns against normalizing these dangers. They say many journalists now face constant stress and anxiety while simply doing their jobs. The NUJ is pushing for greater government action and the establishment of a dedicated group to improve journalist safety.
Amnesty International has called on both the UK and Northern Ireland governments to take immediate action. Recommendations include more robust investigations by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and stronger protections for reporters under threat. In response, the PSNI stated that it is reviewing the report and reaffirmed its commitment to the safety of journalists.
This growing climate of fear is not just a threat to individual journalists—it is also a threat to press freedom and the public’s right to know. Amnesty and the NUJ stress that such conditions are unacceptable in any democratic society and urge urgent steps to protect those who hold power to account.
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