The International News Safety Institute (INSI) is deeply saddened by the death of our long-time colleague and friend, Nick Mosdell.

Nick was the heart of INSI’s Killing the Messenger report, a record of thousands of journalists and media workers who lost their lives in the line of duty. For more than 20 years he helped build and sustain this comprehensive database of journalist killings which outlined in unflinching detail the true scale of violence against the press.

Nick’s work gave INSI authority and influence. It underpinned the global inquiry into journalist safety in 2007 and informed the 2016 book Reporting Dangerously (co-authored with Richard Sambrook and Simon Cottle). He continued working on projects related to media safety until just weeks before his passing.

Rodney Pinder, INSI’s first director, said, “It is no exaggeration to say that INSI would not be the authoritative source it is today without his great contribution to its formative years. INSI owes him much and we he worked with deeply mourn his untimely passing.”

Senior members of the news industry also paid tribute to Nick. Tim Singleton, Head of International News at Sky, said, “Nick's work was fundamentally important and, as we all appreciate, never more relevant than now.”

“I appreciate the incredible contribution he made to all of us in this critical industry. We will not forget,” said Liz Corbin, Director of News at the EBU.

At a moment when journalism is under grave assault – with more than 200 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza in less than two years, many deliberately targeted in an attempt to silence them – Nick’s work could not be more urgent or more relevant.

“For years, we relied on Nick’s precision in keeping the record of journalists killed,” said INSI’s Director Elena Cosentino. “He carried out this task with quiet determination, ensuring that every loss was recognised and no name was lost to indifference.

“That record was never just a database. It stood as a barrier against the erosion of memory, a reminder that each figure represented a human life, and a defence against the denial and distortion that so often follow violence against the news media.

“We see this denial daily. In Gaza, in Ukraine, and in other wars, governments insist journalists are not targets, even as the toll mounts. Numbers are contested, responsibility deflected, and the dead are reduced to abstractions. 

“By documenting each case with rigour, Nick helped strip away those evasions. His work made it harder for perpetrators to hide, and harder for the rest of us to look away.

“As attacks on journalists escalate once again, the clarity and integrity he brought to this task matter more than ever. Nick’s contribution was not only an act of record-keeping but of accountability. We honour him by continuing that work — unflinching, accurate, and unwilling to let silence or denial prevail.”

Nick was also a kind and generous workmate. Those who worked alongside him at Cardiff University where he was a senior member of the journalism school remember his modesty, his warmth and his absolute dedication to accuracy in a contested and politicised field.

“Nick was a brilliant colleague and always found time for his work creating, improving and maintaining INSI’s database of media casualties which became the annual Killing the Messenger report,” said Richard Tait, an INSI board member and long-time colleague.

“He was quite a modest person and I am sure he would have been very touched to know how important his work was to an organisation which has many of the world’s leading international news companies on its board and among its members. 

“When INSI started it was essential that we established ourselves as an important voice in the debates about safety. Nick’s work was an important part of that success. What started as an experimental project turned into 20 years of unchallengeable data. He was very committed to the safety of journalists and media workers and was proud to be able to help in a practical way.”

The INSI board, representing the leading international broadcasters and news agencies worldwide, send their condolences to Nick’s family and friends, and register their profound appreciation for his unique and invaluable contribution to journalist safety worldwide.