World Press Freedom Day, Journalists Still Being Killed in 2023

World Press Freedom Day is commemorated every May 3rd. However, the work of journalists remains far from free to this day.

Data from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) shows that 721 journalists have been killed over the past 10 years. In 2023, at least 5 journalists have been killed with confirmed motives, while 3 were killed with unconfirmed motives.

The tragedy of journalist killings was particularly prevalent in 2013. There were 98 recorded cases of journalist murders; 74 with confirmed motives and 24 with unconfirmed motives.

Similarly, in 2015, 97 journalist murders were recorded. This comprised 73 killings with confirmed motives and 24 with unclear motives.

These two years were particularly dark for journalists, representing the highest number of killings in the last 10 years.

The number of journalist killings has fluctuated. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number decreased to 49 cases; 32 with confirmed motives and 17 with unknown motives.

After the pandemic, killings increased again in 2022 to 66 cases. This included 40 killings with confirmed motives and 26 with unconfirmed motives.

(See also: [This is the Top 5 Countries that Imprisoned the Most Journalists in 2022, China is Number One!](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2022/12/22/ini-5-negara-paling-banyak-penjarakan-jurnalis-di-2022-cina-teratas))

Over the past 10 years, these killings have been spread across Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Myanmar, Guatemala, France, Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and other countries.

Here is a breakdown of journalist killings based on motive status over the past 10 years:

* 2013
Confirmed motive: 74 cases
Unconfirmed motive: 24 cases
Total: 98 cases
* 2014
Confirmed motive: 62 cases
Unconfirmed motive: 20 cases
Total: 82 cases
* 2015
Confirmed motive: 73 cases
Unconfirmed motive: 24 cases
Total: 97 cases
* 2016
Confirmed motive: 51 cases
Unconfirmed motive: 28 cases
Total: 79 cases
* 2017
Confirmed motive: 47 cases
Unconfirmed motive: 20 cases
Total: 67 cases
* 2018
Confirmed motive: 57 cases
Unconfirmed motive: 21 cases
Total: 78 cases
* 2019
Confirmed motive: 27 cases
Unconfirmed motive: 25 cases
Total: 52 cases
* 2020
Confirmed motive: 32 cases
Unconfirmed motive: 17 cases
Total: 49 cases
* 2021
Confirmed motive: 28 cases
Unconfirmed motive: 17 cases
Total: 45 cases
* 2022
Confirmed motive: 40 cases
Unconfirmed motive: 26 cases
Total: 66 cases
* 2023
Confirmed motive: 5 cases
Unconfirmed motive: 3 cases
Total: 8 cases

(See also: [533 Journalists Imprisoned Until Early December 2022, Where Were the Most?](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2022/12/22/533-jurnalis-dipenjara-sampai-awal-desember-2022-di-mana-terbanyak))