Physical attacks at protests in Germany, delegitimisation and right-wing campaigns, including from Israel: the new “Close-Up” report by Reporters without Borders raises alarm.

The number of attacks on journalists in Germany fell in 2025, but threats to press freedom have shifted into other areas. This is reported in the “Close-Up” published on Tuesday by Reporters without Borders (RSF). The globally active organisation documented 55 attacks on media professionals and newsrooms in the Federal Republic – down from 89 the previous year. Whether the number has truly declined remains unclear: RSF received 99 reports of violence but could not verify many of them.

Among the 55 incidents were three cases of property damage. Of the 46 physical attacks, 41 occurred at political gatherings such as demonstrations or party events. In total, 18 of these came from the right-wing extremist milieu, eleven occurred at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, ten of which targeted “the same two journalists repeatedly”. Due to their self-declared pro-Israel reporting, Springer outlets like “Bild” were particularly in focus.

Six cyberattacks were also recorded – the highest number since documentation began in 2015. For example, the newspaper “Taz” was targeted on federal election day with an attack intended to slow down the newspaper’s servers. “Der Spiegel” and, in 2024, Deutschlandfunk were also affected by cyberattacks.

RSF also describes a new quality of delegitimising journalistic work. This is especially noticeable in reporting on the Middle East. Journalists reported difficulties in covering human rights violations by the Israeli army in the same manner that would be considered normal for other states. Digital hate and online harassment were also burdensome – particularly when affected journalists had a Muslim or Arab background.

The report addresses the Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor and the temporary army spokesperson Arye Shalicar. The two men attacked, for example, the public broadcaster journalist Sophie von der Tann over her reporting on Israel’s Gaza war. Prosor advised the 34-year-old: “If you would rather be an activist, you should change jobs.”

Shalicar, raised in Germany, wrote that the journalist living in Tel Aviv was “the face of the new German hatred of Jews and Israel”. The apparent goal of the coordinated campaign was to prevent von der Tann from receiving the Hanns-Joachim-Friedrichs Prize, awarded in early December.

Gaza is the deadliest region in the world for journalists, the “Close-Up” reminds – since the start of the Gaza war, it has not been accessible to foreign press. Since October 2023, nearly 220 local media professionals have lost their lives there, according to RSF; some were also deliberately killed by the Israeli army. The organisation has therefore filed five complaints with the International Criminal Court and calls on the German government to also push for clarification.

An entire chapter of the RSF report is devoted to a growing right-wing populist journalistic milieu. Portals such as “Nius”, “Apollo News” and “Compact” include journalistic content but also reach a mass audience with disinformation and hate campaigns. The targeted use of false information is evidenced, for example, by the campaign against constitutional judge Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf.

RSF finds little progress in media policy at federal and state level. An increase in the broadcasting fee for public-service broadcasters is blocked by the federal states – likely also out of fear of further attacks from the right. Contrary to the coalition agreement, tax relief for non-profit journalism is currently not on the agenda.

RSF is concerned about the increasing use of AI models: services such as Google AI Overview divert internet traffic and advertising revenue from journalistic content, threatening the financial viability of publishers.

RSF also highlights so-called SLAPP lawsuits. The abbreviation stands for Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. Wealthy companies file civil lawsuits against individual journalists or media houses to prevent unwanted publications. The EU issued an anti-SLAPP directive in 2024, but the government draft presented in December 2025 for German implementation, according to RSF, fails to achieve improved protection – only cases with foreign connections are included.

Journalists require certainty that they will not be monitored by the state to work safely, for example when communicating with sources. This fundamental right is undermined by plans of EU states to allow providers to monitor encrypted communications via apps like Signal or Whatsapp – initially to track sexualised content involving minors.

Although this blanket “chat control” has been temporarily averted, the use of state malware renders encrypted applications ineffective. RSF has therefore filed a constitutional complaint against such surveillance by the Federal Intelligence Service, which was not accepted for a decision in Karlsruhe. The organisation is now taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

Published in German in „nd“.

Image: Arye Shalicar (IDF).