ISLAMABAD: Presenting an alarming picture of the freedom of expression in its latest ‘Media Development Report 2022-2025’, Unesco has urged member states to protect and invest in journalism in order to promote peaceful societies.
“Defending free, independent journalism must be recognised as a priority,” says the report made available on Monday.
Today, journalists face a wide and growing range of attacks — physical, digital, legal, and threats which force them to flee their homes — since 2018, more than 900 journalists in Latin America and the Caribbean have been forced into exile. Environmental reporters now face a heightened risk: Unesco recorded 749 attacks on journalists covering environmental issues between 2009 and 2023, with a sharp rise in recent years.
The report reveals a 10 per cent decline in freedom of expression worldwide since 2012 — a level not seen in decades. The report also sounds the alarm that in the same period self-censorship increased significantly among journalists, rising 63 per cent, at a rate of about 5pc per year.
During the reporting period (2022-2025), 186 journalists were killed while covering wars and conflict zones — a 67pc increase compared to the previous period covered by the report (2018-2021). In 2025 alone, 93 journalists have been killed, of these 60 were killed in conflict zones.
Despite international commitments to end impunity for killing journalists, accountability is rare. While there has been modest progress — with impunity rates dropping from 95pc in 2012 to 85pc in 2024 — most perpetrators still go unpunished.
Online harassment against journalists — particularly that targeting women — has surged worldwide. New research carried out by the International Center for Journalists’ (ICFJ) for UN Women, in partnership with Unesco revealed that 75pc of women journalists and media workers experienced online violence while performing their jobs in 2025, up from 73pc in 2020.
Despite the severity of the global decline in freedom of expression, meaningful progress is being made. Between 2020 and 2025, 1.5 billion people gained access to social media and messaging platforms, expanding opportunities for civic participation worldwide.
Collaborative investigative journalism has gained momentum during this period — leading to an increase in important cross-border investigations. Fact-checking units are growing at many media organisations.
And laws recognising community media are increasing globally, helping to safeguard a vital source of trusted local information. In a globalised, online information environment, Unesco advocates cooperation among all actors to ensure transparent access to information, foster accountability and empower users to make informed choices.
Teaching citizens to critically engage with information and safely navigate social media platforms is essential to build greater trust in today’s information ecosystem. Unesco has trained over 10,500 content creators from more than 150 countries to build audience trust and shape public opinion in an ethical way, and creating engaging content to promote media and information literacy.
According to Unesco Director General Khaled El-Enany “freedom of expression and information is not an option: it is the very condition for lasting peace. Faced with a historic regression, we must act together to protect and defend everyone’s right to think, write and inform. Unesco will continue leading global efforts to strengthen pluralism and ensure that diversity is not only protected but actively fostered.”
From 2012 to 2024, freedom of expression in Asia and the Pacific reportedly declined by 6.67pc, averaging a 0.51pc annual decrease. This marks one of the most pronounced drops in the world, driven by intensifying restrictions on media and growing limitations on open discourse. The most significant changes were reported in media self-censorship, which worsened by 59.89pc, followed by media censorship effort, 40.62pc, and media bias, 35.68pc.
Over the past two decades, technologies have emerged that both amplify and stymie freedom of expression. In just the last four years, rapid technological advancements have accelerated this trend. The use of these technologies is reshaping journalism and open debate, pioneering new forms of expression. The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has amplified content creation, but its ability to produce synthetic or altered material, coupled with rapid digital dissemination, has disrupted information integrity at scale.
Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2025
