Research

A newly released analysis by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reveals that a total of 128 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, underscoring a perilous environment for news professionals and persistent global threats to press freedom and safety. The definitive list, finalised on December 31, reflects additional confirmed deaths in conflict zones and through targeted attacks, as well as accident-related fatalities, and marks another year of elevated casualties for those reporting on critical public issues. The IFJ’s tally includes a diverse array of journalists and media staff, encompassing local reporters, camera...

The assassination of investigative journalist Martin O’Hagan remains a defining and unresolved case, illustrating the persistent dangers faced by media professionals reporting on organised crime and paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland. O’Hagan, a seasoned reporter for the Sunday World, was fatally shot on September 28, 2001, by gunmen linked to the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) while walking home with his wife in Lurgan, County Armagh. At age 51, he became the first journalist killed in Northern Ireland’s recent history as a direct result of his work, a crime that has never led to a successful...

In the contemporary media landscape, the sheer volume of information channels has never been greater, yet global press freedom is eroding markedly, creating a paradox in the role and impact of journalism. Despite an unprecedented proliferation of media outlets driven by digital platforms, social networks, and mobile technologies, the quality, independence, and freedom of journalistic reporting are under increasing threat from political constraints, economic pressures, and structural barriers. This trend reflects a broader global reality in which more media does not equate to greater freedom or reliability of information. A core argument in this analysis...

In 2025, the journalism profession has confronted an unprecedented global crisis marked by the highest toll of journalist deaths in decades and deepening constraints on media freedom. According to reporting by Scroll.in, the year reached a “murderous milestone” on December 10 when verified killings of journalists and media workers equaled 126, matching the highest annual total on record and with several weeks remaining. This figure, tracked by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), surpasses any annual death toll since systematic records began in 1992, underscoring the sharp escalation in risks associated with reporting on conflict...

A year-end assessment of press conditions in Malawi during the 2025 election cycle reveals a significant escalation in physical and digital attacks on journalists, coupled with widespread impunity that threatens the country’s democratic accountability and media independence. According to the Malawi chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), more than 10 reported assaults, acts of intimidation, and coordinated online harassment targeting local reporters occurred throughout 2025, yet no perpetrator has been prosecuted for these violations. The pattern reflects a broader deterioration in the safety environment for media professionals covering politically charged events in...

Targeting Journalists is a Crime (TJC) is a global alliance dedicated to safeguarding journalists and demanding accountability for attacks against them. In 2025, TJC tracked an alarming surge in violence, repression, and impunity impacting media workers worldwide. This research report compiles everything the TJC Project covered in 2025, highlighting key trends: a record number of journalist killings (driven largely by conflict zones), continued murders by criminal actors, widespread arrests and censorship, and some notable strides toward justice. The findings underscore TJC’s mission – “defending truth... demanding justice”– as urgent and vital in today’s press freedom...

This research-oriented article examines the work of a specialised cybersecurity incident response team that investigates suspected spyware attacks on journalists, human rights defenders, and activists worldwide. The piece focuses on the Digital Security Helpline operated by Access Now, a nonprofit organisation that provides expert support to individuals and civil society organisations targeted by sophisticated government spyware. These spyware campaigns, typically developed by private vendors and deployed by state actors, pose serious threats to press freedom, privacy, and civil liberties globally. Background and ContextGovernment spyware — such as that produced by commercial cyber-arms vendors like NSO...

This research article examines the intersection of press freedom, political violence, and the risks faced by critical journalists through the lived experience of Can Dündar, a prominent Turkish journalist who survived an assassination attempt and now lives in exile. By analysing Dündar’s career, the threats against him and the broader suppression of media dissent in Turkey, the study highlights how authoritarian pressures transform press criticism into a matter of personal security and exile. IntroductionFreedom of expression and independent journalism have faced sustained erosion in Turkey, particularly under successive governments that have expanded legal and extralegal...

This research-oriented analysis examines the press freedom crisis in Russia, using the two-year imprisonment of journalist Nika Novak as a case study. Novak’s experience highlights systemic repression of independent media under the Kremlin, revealing patterns of harsh treatment, legal constraints, and diminished transparency that reflect broader suppression of journalism in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. IntroductionPress freedom in Russia has deteriorated sharply in recent years, particularly following the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. Laws penalising “false information” about the military, aggressive enforcement actions, and expanded definitions of prohibited speech have created...

This research article examines the paradoxical global media landscape in which journalism’s influence persists despite increasing restrictions on press freedom. Drawing on cross-regional data, case studies, and theoretical frameworks, the analysis demonstrates how journalism continues to shape public discourse even as authoritarian pressures, regulatory constraints, and digital ecosystem challenges compromise independent reporting. The article identifies structural threats to press freedom, explores journalists’ adaptive strategies, and offers implications for policymakers and media scholars concerned with safeguarding transparent information environments. IntroductionIn an era marked by expanding media platforms and shrinking democratic space, journalism’s role remains pivotal for...

This research article examines the phenomenon of transnational repression targeting journalists who have fled their home countries to avoid persecution, violence, or censorship. Drawing on documented cases, legal frameworks, and expert analysis, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) outlines the varied tactics employed by repressive states, assesses impacts on press freedom and democratic processes abroad, and proposes a set of policy recommendations for protecting exiled journalists and countering cross-border harassment. This multidisciplinary study situates transnational repression within broader global trends, including digital surveillance, diplomatic leverage, and extraterritorial legal actions that constrain journalistic...

This research article analyzes the emerging policy discourse on the use of targeted sanctions to protect journalists, drawing on a recent report that examines sanctions as a mechanism to deter attacks on media workers, enhance accountability for rights abuses, and strengthen international protections for press freedom. The analysis situates sanctions within broader efforts to safeguard journalists in contexts of political repression, armed conflict, and impunity. Background and Problem Statement Journalists worldwide face a growing array of threats, including arbitrary detention, violence, digital harassment, censorship, and legal persecution. Traditional protective measures — such as diplomatic advocacy,...

This research article analyzes a major shift in the conceptual framework of accountability journalism as outlined in a recent Nieman Lab piece. It explores how traditional paradigms — which have long centered on exposing wrongdoing as the primary mechanism for holding power to account — are evolving in response to changes in audience expectations, political polarization, digital media ecosystems, and the complex nature of contemporary power structures. Background and Problem Statement For decades, journalism’s core civic mission has been understood as uncovering and exposing misconduct by governments, corporations, and other powerful actors. Investigative reporting, audits...

This research brief examines the pressing challenges African journalists face, as documented in a comprehensive piece by the Al Jazeera Media Institute. It situates individual experiences within broader patterns of repression, intimidation, legal harassment and self-censorship that are undermining press freedom across the continent. Background and Analytical Framework Journalism in Africa operates under diverse and often hostile political environments where both state and non-state actors exert pressure aimed at controlling public narratives. This dynamic has intensified in recent years, with threats ranging from physical violence and legal entanglement to economic coercion and digital harassment. The...

A new report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reveals a significant and accelerating global decline in freedom of expression and the safety of journalists. The findings, drawn from UNESCO’s World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Report 2022–2025, signal a troubling reversal of press freedoms and raise critical questions about the resilience of information ecosystems worldwide. Key Findings Global Freedom of Expression Has Contracted SharplyUNESCO’s analysis shows that between 2012 and 2024, global freedom of expression decreased by about 10%, a drop comparable to levels seen only during...

This research brief examines the deepening press freedom crisis in Pakistan through the case of a Pakistani YouTuber who has alleged torture and coercion while in custody under the country’s cybercrime laws. The case highlights broader structural concerns about the use of digital regulations, custodial practices, and security narratives to suppress journalistic activity and online expression. Context and Background Pakistan has increasingly relied on the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and related cybercrime provisions to investigate, detain, and prosecute journalists, bloggers, and digital content creators. While officially framed as tools to combat disinformation and...

This research brief examines the structural and gendered dynamics of online harassment faced by women journalists, drawing on recent reporting that highlights why many women in the profession are unable to disengage from digital spaces without professional or personal consequences. The analysis situates online abuse not as an incidental byproduct of social media but as a sustained form of gender-based violence that directly affects press freedom, mental health, and journalistic practice. Context and Problem Definition Women journalists increasingly rely on digital platforms to report, build sources, distribute work, and engage audiences. However, these same platforms...

This research brief examines the case of Jarosław Ziętara, a Polish investigative journalist whose enforced disappearance remains one of the most emblematic unresolved crimes against journalists in Europe. Decades after Ziętara vanished, his case continues to highlight structural failures in accountability, political interference, and the long-term consequences of impunity for press freedom in democratic and post-transition societies. Background Jarosław Ziętara was a young investigative reporter in Poland in the early 1990s, a period marked by political transition, economic upheaval, and the rise of powerful business interests with opaque ties to political elites. He was last...

The 2025 annual press-freedom assessment by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) identifies an alarming escalation in violence, repression, and impunity affecting journalists worldwide. The data reveal not only high casualties among media workers but also entrenched practices by states, armed forces, criminal networks, and extremist actors that deliberately target journalists, undermining global information ecosystems and democratic accountability. Key Findings Fatalities and Targeted KillingsBetween 1 December 2024 and 1 December 2025, RSF documented 67 journalists killed globally, marking one of the deadliest periods for the profession. These deaths were not random or incidental: “journalists do not just...

Across Africa, journalists who dare to expose corruption, challenge power, and hold authorities accountable are confronting a severe and evolving crisis that threatens press freedom and personal safety. According to a recent analysis by Al Jazeera Journalism Review, reporters in countries from Ethiopia and Nigeria to Malawi, Benin, Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya are facing a brutal mix of harassment tactics — including arrests, torture, digital surveillance, and financially draining lawsuits — that are designed to silence independent reporting. Veteran Ethiopian investigative journalist Ermias Mulugeta vividly recounts the danger of his work exposing a major drug...

Background & Problem Statement Women journalists around the world face disproportionate risks while performing their jobs. Harassment, gender-based violence, online abuse, threats, sexual assault, and even murder are alarmingly common. This hostile environment not only endangers individual journalists but also undermines press freedom, diversity in media, and the public’s right to information. (source: UNESCO data, rights-advocacy sources) Despite growing awareness, many media organizations and legal frameworks remain inadequate in addressing or preventing these threats. This research project aims to systematically document the nature and scale of risks faced by women journalists, analyze gaps in protection,...

A new cover story released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) lays out a troubling panorama of repression against journalists in Russia — showing how laws originally meant to curb “extremism” and “foreign interference” have become tools to silence dissent, restrict coverage, and punish independent media. According to the report, since 2022, Russian authorities have dramatically escalated pressure on reporters: hundreds of journalists have faced detentions, fines, asset seizures, forced closures of media outlets, and criminal charges. The crackdown intensified following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but continued long after, targeting anyone who dares...

This report examines how a group of community journalists in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado managed to escape after militants overran their radio station — offering insights into the risks media are enduring under insurgency, and the implications for press freedom and public information flow in conflict zones. The situation illuminates broader systemic challenges tied to the Islamist insurgency that has repeatedly targeted journalists and attempted to criminalize independent reporting. On 31 October 2020, jihadist militants attacked the facilities of St. Francis of Assisi community radio, located in Muambala village of the Muidumbe...

A new report released on 24 November 2025 by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), in partnership with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), reveals a dramatic surge in violence — both online and offline — against women working in Somali media between 2023 and 2025. The findings document 79 confirmed instances of sexual and gender-based violence targeting women journalists across the country. The abuses documented in the report are pervasive and multifaceted. Many cases involve sexual harassment in newsrooms and media workplaces, ranging from unwanted physical contact to coercive demands for sexual favors...

China has extended its repression of environmental journalism beyond its borders, targeting reporters covering Chinese-funded infrastructure projects in Africa and elsewhere. Drawing on investigative work from both the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) and Inside Climate News (ICN), the post details the mechanisms of intimidation, the risks faced by reporters, and the broader implications for press freedom and environmental transparency. Scope and Methods of SuppressionInside Climate News reports that journalists exposing environmental degradation linked to Chinese overseas build-out under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have faced surveillance, threats, and criminalisation. The SEJ piece likewise...