The International Labour Organization (ILO) released a landmark report on World Press Freedom Day, May 3, linking the protection of journalists and media workers directly to the enforcement of fundamental labour rights. According to Antigua News Room, the report examines how international labour standards can serve as a critical tool in safeguarding those who work in the media sector.
The findings underscore a growing crisis facing journalists worldwide. Since 1993, more than 1,850 journalists have been killed, with hundreds more currently held in arbitrary detention, reported missing, or living under active threats, according to UNESCO's Observatory of Killed Journalists. The vast majority of those killings remain unresolved. Journalists also face legal harassment, physical violence, and online abuse, with women journalists disproportionately targeted by gender-based threats.
The ILO report argues that journalist safety cannot rest on freedom of expression protections alone. Fundamental principles and rights at work, alongside broader international labour standards, must also play a central role. The report is intended to guide governments, media employers, workers, and their organisations in developing comprehensive protection strategies for the sector.
"Journalists are key defenders of human and labour rights," said Frank Hagemann, Director of Sectoral Policies at the ILO. "They are also workers, and labour rights offer an important tool for protecting journalists at work."
The ILO is a participating body in the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, a framework adopted by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in 2012.
