'Unparalleled and Unprecedented'

Since Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israeli settlements and a music festival, some 97 journalists and media workers have been killed in the conflict. That is more journalist fatalities in one conflict zone in six months than have occurred in one year worldwide since the Committee to Protect Journalists started keeping the data in 1992. Nieman Reports’ Winter/Spring 2024 issue spotlights how the war in Gaza is part of an alarming trend of the lack of accountability for killers and jailers of journalists. From the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the rise of authoritarian governments, the miasma of misinformation fostering distrust and suspicion, and the impunity shown by governments, the risk posed to journalists have multiplied in recent years.