Journalism in Peril: RSF’s 2024 Round-Up Exposes Deadly Toll

December 12, 2024 – General –

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released its 2024 annual round-up, revealing a deeply alarming global environment for journalists marked by unprecedented violence, mass detentions, and growing impunity. The report underscores that journalism has paid an “exorbitant human price” this year, particularly in regions plagued by war and authoritarian repression.

According to RSF, at least 145 journalists have been killed in Palestine since October 2023, with over 35 of those deaths confirmed as deliberate targeting while on duty. The organization called it the most lethal toll for journalists in any single conflict in modern history. More broadly, RSF recorded at least 68 journalist killings worldwide in 2024, marking one of the deadliest years since 2018.

Detentions also surged. RSF documented 550 journalists imprisoned as of December 1, 2024—an increase of more than 7% from the previous year. Many of these incarcerations occurred in countries like China, Iran, and Myanmar, where journalists face harsh sentences, censorship, and torture. RSF emphasized that these numbers represent not just statistics, but a growing pattern of silencing dissent and criminalizing independent reporting.

The report also details RSF’s frontline response. In 2024, the organization provided support to over 640 journalists and 140 media outlets in crisis zones, distributing protective gear, legal aid, and emergency funding. RSF’s actions serve as a critical lifeline for reporters in hostile environments, but they warn that systemic change is needed to stem the rising tide of violence and repression.

Economic fragility remains another major concern. The report highlights how media consolidation, political capture of outlets, and declining revenues continue to erode editorial independence. This financial pressure, combined with physical threats and censorship, creates a volatile ecosystem where truth-telling is increasingly dangerous and unsustainable.

RSF’s 2024 round-up is a powerful call to action. The global press is under siege—not only by bullets and prisons but by laws, policies, and economic structures designed to stifle dissent. Unless there is coordinated international will to protect journalists, hold perpetrators accountable, and defend the independence of the press, the erosion of global democracy will only accelerate.

Reference – 

https://rsf.org/sites/default/files/medias/file/2024/12/RSF%20Round-up%202024%20EN.pdf

https://presscouncil.org.za/2024/12/12/rsfs-2024-round-up-journalism-pays-an-exorbitant-human-price/

RSF’s 2024 global round-up reveals rise in journalists killed and imprisoned