The Philippines recorded zero journalist killings in 2024 for the first time in 20 years, according to a special report released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on 12 February.

Despite this progress, the CPJ report underscores the country’s long history of violence against the press. Between 1998 and 2024, the Philippines saw 149 journalist deaths, making it the second deadliest nation for media workers, behind Iran (226). Other high-risk countries include Mexico (147), Pakistan (94), India (73), and Somalia (72).

While the Philippines marked zero deaths in 2024, the report highlights that it was the deadliest year for journalists worldwide since CPJ began collecting data over three decades ago. Nearly 70% of those killed were Palestinians, most at the hands of Israel.

“At least 124 journalists and media workers were killed last year, nearly two-thirds of them Palestinians killed by Israel,” the report stated.

The 2024 toll surpassed the previous record of 113 deaths in 2007, during the peak of the Iraq War.

The report notes that most journalist fatalities occurred in the Israel-Gaza conflict, where at least 85 media workers died. CPJ also documented 39 additional killings across 16 other countries, including Sudan and Pakistan (6 each), Mexico (5), Syria (4), Myanmar (3), Iraq (3), and Haiti (2).

CPJ defines a journalist’s death as being either accidental or deliberate, provided there is credible evidence it relates to their journalistic work.