Whistleblowers: CPJ scrapped 'impunity index' to shield Israel from embarrassing ranking

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an American nonprofit organization based in New York City,  has discontinued its annual Global Impunity Index, a decision that current and former staff members say was motivated by a desire to avoid highlighting Israel's leading role in unpunished killings of journalists amid its genocidal war against the people of Gaza.

According to whistleblowers speaking to The Electronic Intifada, CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg canceled the index last August in a calculated move to prevent Israel from topping the list.

The Impunity Index, published since 2008, ranks countries by the rate of unsolved murders of journalists relative to population over a 10-year rolling period, serving as a key measure of accountability widely cited by the UN Human Rights Office and UNESCO.

The whistleblowers argue that Israel, already ranked second in the 2024 index (behind Haiti), would have surged to number one in the 2025 edition covering 2024, the first full year of Israel's war on Gaza.

CPJ's own data shows Israel responsible for the deliberate killing of dozens of journalists in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iran in recent years.

The Government Media Office in Gaza reports that Israel has killed more than 260 journalists and media workers since October 2023, making its onslaught deadlier for journalists than major historical conflicts combined.

"Since the Impunity Index usually covers a timeframe of 10 years, Israel would have been ranked near the top, if not number one, for many years to come," the whistleblowers stated.

They allege Ginsberg "couldn’t afford the heat" from CPJ's board, pro-Israel donors, including those linked to Rupert Murdoch-owned publications and Israeli-linked firms, and pressure from Israel and its allies.

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In an August email to staff obtained by The Electronic Intifada, Ginsberg proposed dropping the index, citing unspecified "flaws" in its methodology.

She noted that it only counts confirmed intentional murders, excluding many Palestinian journalists killed in what CPJ deems dangerous circumstances rather than targeted killings, despite evidence of Israel's deliberate targeting of Palestinian journalists.

Instead of reforming the index to better capture such cases, Ginsberg suggested a "lighter lift" statement focusing on a few emblematic cases, which would avoid "intense focus" on dozens of cases requiring rights of reply.

CPJ's eventual December statement highlighted five cases across various countries, giving equal weight to vastly different contexts and generating minimal media attention compared to the index's usual impact.

The whistleblowers described widespread "deep disappointment, anger and resentment" among staff.

In response to inquiries, CPJ denied donor influence, stating the decision stemmed from a need to "radically change" its approach to impunity and prioritize accountability efforts, though it provided no specifics on new initiatives beyond existing advocacy.

CPJ's website confirms the index is paused for review, with a 2025 statement noting the "unrelenting nature of impunity" and the need to adapt amid a "new landscape" for journalists, including over 125 killings in 2024 alone, most by Israel in Gaza.

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A Palestinian journalists’ rights group says the Israeli military has killed 44 Palestinian journalists in displacement tents in Gaza, among a total of more than 270 media workers killed since Israel’s onslaught on the besieged territory began in October 2023.

The controversy follows a pattern of concerns over institutional handling of Israel's warn on Gza issues, including Omar Shakir's recent resignation from Human Rights Watch after the suppression of a report on Palestinian refugees' right of return.

Whistleblowers say the move undermines transparent, data-driven accountability for crimes against journalists, particularly in light of Israel's unprecedented toll on media workers.

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