Attacks on media workers must end, UN urges

Volker Türk highlighted the increasing threats to the media in his previous message World Press Freedom Daycelebrated every year on May 3.

“As attacks on the media become normalized, freedom itself begins to decayand with it, the foundation of peace, security and sustainable development,” he said be warned.

Dangerous job

The High Commissioner paid tribute to the brave reporters and photographers around the world “who document horrific atrocities, expose corruption, and scrutinize business operations.”

But he noted that “journalism today has become an unsafe and sometimes dangerous profession” as media workers were “bombed in their cars, kidnapped from their offices, silenced behind bars, and fired from their jobs.”

At least 14 journalists have been killed since Januaryonly about a tenth of killings in the last two decades have resulted in full accountability, and coverage of armed conflict poses the highest risk.

‘Death trap’ in Gaza

“Israel’s war on Gaza has become a death trap for the media. My office has verified the killing of nearly 300 journalists since October 2023, and many more have been injured,” he said.

“By 2026, Lebanon is the deadliest country for media workers by far.”

Additionally, it is often only local journalists who cover war, like the journalists he met in Sudan “who faced extreme violence, brutality, and even starvation – while trying to continue their important work.”

The ‘first casualty’ of the war

In his message for Today, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres emphasized that “in recent years there has been a sharp increase in the number of journalists killed – often deliberately targeted – in a war zone.”

Although the popular saying states that truth is the first casualty in war, “Often the first victims are journalists who risk everything to report the truth – not only in war, but also when those in power fear scrutiny..”

But press freedom is also under “unprecedented pressure” due to “economic pressures, new technologies and active manipulation,” he said.

Nowhere is safe

In line with this, Türk warned that “almost no country is truly safe for those who speak truth to power.”

The High Commissioner referred to his recent visit to Mexico, where reports of corruption, environmental destruction or organized crime have placed journalists, sources and even their families at great risk.

“I am deeply concerned that media workers are the primary targets of increasing transnational repression and surveillance – most recently seen in attacks on Iranian journalists abroad,” he said.

Online harassment and abuse

At the same time, laws on defamation, disinformation, cybercrime and terrorism are increasingly used to protect the powerful, while expensive legal cases are used to intimidate and silence journalists.

Around the world, around 330 media workers are currently detained along with around 500 citizen journalists and human rights bloggers.

The UN Human Rights chief voiced concern over online harassment and intimidation, which disproportionately affects female journalists—three-quarters of whom have experienced harassment such as smear campaigns and threats of sexual violence.

Such an attack”risks creating a disinformation society, where the media is forced to obscure facts and deny science in order to operate safelyhe said.

Silencing the press

Meanwhile, efforts to silence the press “have become highly creative,” such as access restrictions, internet shutdowns and news blackouts. He noted that “in some cases, unholy alliances between political forces, corporations, and the media undermine democracy and polarize society.”

Economic pressures reached record levels and worsened the situation. In nearly a third of countries, funding cuts and media concentration are forcing local news outlets to close.

Driven by confidence

In the face of these challenges, journalists continue to report in the most difficult conditions—“even from hospital beds and wheelchairs”—because they believe that the truth is worth fighting for.

Emphasizing that they cannot fight alone, Türk called on countries “to end the persecution of the press, lift arbitrary restrictions, repeal unlawful laws, and align the legal framework with international human rights standards.”

Governments are being urged to prevent attacks on media workers, protect them from scrutiny – including when working abroad, investigate abuses and ensure accountability.

He also called on technology companies to take concrete action against online abuse and disinformation, and underscored the importance of maintaining independence, transparency and integrity in media institutions.