Behind every journalist killed, threatened or forced into silence, there is a story that someone did not want to be told. There are families still waiting for answers, colleagues reporting despite fear, and communities deprived of information they have a right to know.

Some cases have become symbols of the struggle for press freedom. Others have faded from public attention, with investigations unresolved and perpetrators never brought to justice. Time does not diminish their significance or the obligation to establish the truth. Justice denied to one journalist sends a warning to others who dare to investigate and question those in power.

On this International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we reaffirm that violence and intimidation must never become an accepted risk of journalism, and that impunity must never become the norm. Each unresolved attack can result to further threats and self-censorship, undermining not only journalists’ safety but also the public’s right to know.

This is especially troubling for a generation growing up amid conflict, uncertainty, polarisation and a rapidly changing information environment. Young people witness wars unfolding on their screens and encounter competing versions of reality, where facts, propaganda and AI-generated content are not always easy to distinguish.

They have every reason to ask whom they can trust. And they have every right to expect answers.

For young people, independent journalism is not an abstract democratic principle. It helps them understand the world they are inheriting, question decisions shaping their lives and make informed choices about their future. Their freedom to know, form opinions and participate in democratic processes depends on journalists being able to report safely and independently.

Through the Council of Europe’s Journalists Matter – Campaign for the Safety of Journalists (2023–2027), member States are working diligently to translate commitments into action: strengthening national protection mechanisms, improving cooperation among authorities and journalists, and responding more effectively to threats and attacks. Ending impunity is central to these efforts. It demands political will, independent and effective investigations, accountability and appropriate support for victims, including in cases involving women journalists, conflict reporting, online harassment and abusive legal proceedings.

The Campaign also recognises that young people must be part of this conversation. Discussions held in Monaco on 8 October, under the Monegasque Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, brought young people, journalists and public authorities together to explore disinformation and journalism’s democratic role. This dialogue will continue at the international youth event “Youth Facing Disinformation - Why Journalists Matter”, in Strasbourg on 9-10 November.

These initiatives carry an essential message: young people cannot be expected to defend democracy without access to the information they need to understand, question and shape its future.

Today, we remember those whose voices were taken away, those still waiting for justice and those who continue reporting despite the risks.

We owe them more than remembrance. We owe them action.

And we owe the next generation a world in which one’s safety is not the price to pay for seeking the truth. When journalists are silenced, we collectively lose part of our right to know and our power to shape a democratic future.

* Video created by the Government of Monaco in the framework of the program ‘’Youth facing disinformation- Why journalists matter’’, as part of the Journalists Matter Campaign