by David Pitts and Deborah M.S. Brown
Across the river from Washington, D.C. stands a memorial to journalists killed covering the news around the globe. Their fate and the work of a free press is of concern to a number of organizations that assist journalists worldwide, report contributing editors David Pitts and Deborah M.S. Brown.
Built by the Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan organization devoted to press freedom, the Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial commemorates the life and death of journalists around the world.
Some of the journalists listed on the memorial were killed covering wars, natural disasters or violent crimes; others fell ill while on assignment. Some were murdered to silence their reporting. Journalists who died as a result of accidents unrelated to an assignment are not listed on the memorial, nor are those who contributed to the violence that resulted in their deaths.
The Journalists Memorial stands in a courtyard called Freedom Park, a 1.5-hectare area located in Arlington, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Each glass panel on the monument lists the name of the journalist, his or her news organization, the date of death and the country where the journalist died in the line of duty. Nearly 1,000 names are inscribed on the glass.
In May 1996, a ceremony was held to dedicate the memorial. Speaking in front of the glass panels, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton paid tribute to the slain journalists by calling them "democracy's heroes," because "democracy depends on the free flow of information."
Journalists have "inspired countless movements of liberation,"
and their work "sustained the fight against slavery, fascism,
communism, and apartheid," the first lady continued. The purpose
of journalism "is to report the truth about the world around us,"
and that often has proved a dangerous endeavor, she added.
In a letter, then-U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
commended the Freedom Forum for building the memorial. "The
United Nations is committed to the unhindered flow of information
and opinions in all parts of the world, both between and within
nations," he said.
The Freedom Forum plans ceremonies on World Press Freedom Day in
May each year to add the names of more journalists to the
memorial. This year, the names of an additional 210 journalists
who lost their lives will be added.
Of that total, 39 were killed or died in
1996, the rest in previous years. Their names, together with
those of the 934 reporters currently listed on the memorial, are
in a computer database which contains detailed biographical
information on the journalists. It can be accessed at both the
memorial site in Freedom Park and at Freedom
Forum's website. The list is updated periodically.
In addition to the memorial, Freedom Park displays a number of
icons of freedom, such as huge concrete chunks of the Berlin
Wall, a ballot box from South Africa, and a replica of a boat
used by two Cuban refugees -- husband and wife -- who risked
everything to sail the lonely sea to freedom.
Next to Freedom Park, located within Freedom Forum headquarters,
a so-called "newseum," will open in April 1997 and will
feature interactive exhibits about the past, present and future
of journalism, including simulations in which visitors can play
the role of a TV news moderator.
Visitors will also be able to see news events that occurred in
the month and year of their birth, thanks to a special "birthday
database."
One of the major highlights of the newseum will be a 38.4-meter-
long video wall that will feature every major satellite feed in
the world to bring in up-to-the-minute news. The newseum will
also house a 220-seat domed theater which will run programs about
news, journalism and the role of a free press.
In an effort to focus attention on the plight of journalists
worldwide, the Freedom Forum also organized in 1996 a series of
regional media forums titled, "Journalists Under Fire: Media
Under Siege."
The first such media forum in Hong Kong explored the future of a
free press there as China assumes sovereignty, and focused on the
working conditions of the press in Asia.
One of the 15 speakers scheduled to address participants at the
second forum in London was Veronica Guerin, an Irish journalist
who was shot to death in Dublin two days before she was due to
appear. Guerin had been working on an expose of criminal
elements in Ireland. Her murder was a tragic reminder that
repressive governments are not the only threat to journalists.
The European media forum also held a session in Dublin to discuss
press coverage of the conflict in Northern Ireland.
The focus of the third media forum in Buenos Aires was the role
of the press during the transition to democracy in the Americas.
Although all countries south of the U.S. border, except Cuba, now
have democratic governments, journalists still face roadblocks
and risks in many countries. Panel discussions focused on these
problems and looked at how to strengthen a free press in the
region.
Difficulties and triumphs experienced by African journalists were
discussed in the fourth media forum in Cape Town.
The forums concluded with a session discussing summary reports
from the different regions, held at Freedom Forum headquarters.
Throughout these worldwide deliberations, the Journalists
Memorial stood as a reminder that people put themselves in danger
every day just to report the news. On a wall facing the
memorial, the words of Thomas Jefferson sum up the ultimate
challenge: "To pursue the freedom of the human mind...and
freedom of the press, every spirit should be ready to devote
itself to martyrdom."
Click here for a list of other
organizations defending the rights of journalists around the
world.
Issues of
Democracy
USIA Electronic Journal, Vol. 2, No. 1, February
1997