House Considers National Memorial for Fallen Journalists
Washington, D.C., is home to numerous memorials and monuments honoring Americans who have sacrificed their lives for the country.
But the U.S. capital lacks a permanent memorial dedicated to those who were killed while working to advance a free press. If a newly formed coalition has its way, however, that will change soon.
The group on Wednesday presented a proposal in Congress to build a Fallen Journalists Memorial that would pay tribute to reporters, photojournalists, editors, producers and others who have died while performing their duties as journalists.
“It is an all too frequent but unfortunate reality that reporters and photojournalists must often run toward danger when seeking the truth. That’s why so many have died while covering war and conflict,” Barbara Cochran, president of the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation, told members of a House natural resources subcommittee.
The initiative was first announced in June, near the first anniversary of the deadliest attack against journalists in U.S. history. The June 28, 2018, shooting at the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Md., left five employees dead and two wounded.
The foundation has garnered bipartisan support from Congress, which would have to authorize the establishment of the memorial since it would be built on federally owned and administered land in Washington.
“Journalists put their lives on the line every day to protect our democracy and a free and independent press,” Rep. Grace Napolitano, who sponsored the bill, said in a statement. “We must pay tribute to those who perished not only on the front lines of battle, but those whose lives have been lost while simply fulfilling their duty to deliver the news.”
The California Democrat also noted during the hearing that the only memorial dedicated to journalists is at the Newseum, which is closing at the end of the month.
During her testimony Wednesday, Cochran also highlighted the dangers journalists face while covering war and conflict around the world. One recent example is the 2018 assassination of U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed by a team of Saudi agents in Turkey.
“Such a memorial would demonstrate to our citizens and to visitors from around the world that our country values a free press, honors the sacrifices of journalists and supports the family, friends and colleagues of the fallen,” she told the panel.
Money for the memorial would not come from taxpayers, according to the foundation. The group would raise funds from large foundations, journalists and individual donors.
The foundation operates under the National Press Club Journalism Institute, which is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club. It is led by former Rep. David Dreier, chairman of Tribune Publishing, the parent company of the Capital Gazette and eight other daily newspapers nationwide, including the Daily News.
The House panel also heard testimony Wednesday on a proposal to dedicate a national memorial to the victims and first responders of the Pulse nightclub shooting.
———
©2019 New York Daily News
Visit New York Daily News at www.nydailynews.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
