Newseum Adds 21 Journalists to Journalists Memorial on June 3

On Monday, June 3, 2019, at 10 a.m., the Newseum will rededicate its Journalists Memorial, a two-story glass memorial that recognizes the reporters, editors, photographers and broadcasters who lost their lives reporting the news.

This year, the names of 21 journalists will be etched onto the memorial’s glass panels to represent all those who died or were killed in pursuit of the news in 2018. The selected journalists will be added to the 2,323 professionals currently recognized on the memorial, which includes journalists dating back to 1837. The memorial is rededicated annually to illustrate the ongoing dangers faced by journalists around the world. Capital Gazette Editor Rick Hutzell and Fred Hiatt, editorial page editor of The Washington Post, will deliver remarks during the ceremony.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, in 2018, 11 journalists died in combat while 34 journalists were murdered. A total of 54 journalists across the globe were killed on the job  last year. Of those 54 journalists, four were from the United States — Capital Gazette staffers Gerald Fischman, John McNamara, Rob Hiaasen and Wendi Winters, who died on June 28, 2018, during a tragic shooting. In addition, two reporters for WYFF 4, based in Greenville, S.C., were killed when a tree hit their SUV while they were covering tropical storm Alberto. The 21 journalists honored next month were killed in 7 separate incidents.

“The memorial and this annual rededication event remind us all every day that the world is an increasingly dangerous place for those who gather and report the news – whether that is from the inherent dangers of reporting from the battlefield or the storm front, or from being targeted by criminals, terrorists or repressive governments,” said Gene Policinski, president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute.

Also on June 3, no newspapers will be displayed in the Today’s Front Pages exhibit outside the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue, inside the Newseum or online.  In their place will be blacked-out pages featuring the hashtag #WithoutNews. This annual #WithoutNews campaign encourages the public to consider what a world without journalists to report the news would look like. Join the campaign by updating your profile picture.

The journalists who will be memorialized at this year’s rededication include:

Hamoud al-Jnaid Radio Fresh In Syria	Mike McCormick WYFF 4 In the United States
Maharram Durrani Radio Azadi, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty In Afghanistan	John McNamara Capital Gazette In the United States
Raed Fares Radio Fresh In Syria	Juan Javier Ortega Reyes El Comercio In Colombia
Gerald Fischman Capital Gazette In the United States	Nowruz Ali Rajabi 1TV In Afghanistan
Abadullah Hananzai Radio Azadi, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty In Afghanistan	Ghazi Rasooli 1TV In Afghanistan
Rob Hiaasen Capital Gazette In the United States	Paúl Rivas Bravo El Comercio In Colombia
Sabawoon Kakar Radio Azadi, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty In Afghanistan	Ali Saleemi Mashal TV In Afghanistan
Jamal Khashoggi The Washington Post In the Saudi Consulate, Turkey	Philip Aaron Smeltzer WYFF 4 In the United States
Ján Kuciak Aktuality.sk In Slovakia	Saleem Talash Mashal TV In Afghanistan
Shah Marai Agence France-Presse In Afghanistan	Yar Mohammad Tokhi Tolo News In Afghanistan
	Wendi Winters Capital Gazette In the United States