"This article maintains that current international law fails to recognize the specific risks associated with the journalistic profession, and that the fragmented, non-binding and unenforceable initiatives on journalists' rights adopted to date have proven ineffective. It argues that a dedicated international instrument targeting violence against journalists, accompanied by a compliance-monitoring mechanism, would significantly improve the protection of journalists and recognize the impact of impunity for attacks against them on audiences' rights and society at large. The article supports this position by highlighting the weaknesses in UN and regional human rights instruments and interpretive jurisprudence, as well as loopholes in humanitarian law. It concludes with suggestions for a new instrument, demonstrating why it would ensure better safeguards for journalists and societal interests in the media." (Abstract)