UN cultural body UNESCO on Saturday reported a surge in killings of journalists across the world with 162 deaths recorded in 2022 and 2023. The situation is getting “worse and worse, year after year”, said Richard Laurent, journalist and founder of Forbidden Stories. Pointing to the relative impunity of perpetrators due to high-level corruption, Laurent said it is now more crucial than ever for journalists to continue reporting on stories of corruption, money laundering as well as climate change.