Reuters staff who have died whilst covering war and conflict are commemorated in a Memorial Book, copies of which are displayed in London, New York and other major offices. A copy is also on show at the Newseum, Washington, DC. Each entry has been researched and written by Peter Mosley (Reuters 1957-1992), former features editor. The contents of the book are reproduced here by permission of David Schlesinger, editor-in-chief.
Every media worker killed since 1944 while doing their job is commemorated at the Journalists Memorial at Bayeux, Normandy. Inaugurated on 7 October 2006, it bears nearly 2,000 names. The memorial is the initiative of Reporters Sans Frontières/Reporters Without Borders.
Another memorial to news staff killed on location is situated in London. It is in the form of a 10 metre glass and steel cone mounted on the roof of BBC Broadcasting House. At 10 pm each night the cone projects a beam of light up to one kilometre into the sky. It was inaugurated by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on 16 June 2008.
The Newseum in Washington, DC, is home of the Freedom Forum Journalists Memorial which bears the names of more than 1,800 individuals etched on curved glass panels.
● Newseum
● Journalists’ Memorial VIDEO
MEMORIAL BOOK FIRST FOREWORD
This book is dedicated to the memory of Reuter journalists who lost their lives while covering war and conflict for our news and television services. These pages testify to acts of great personal bravery, though these were certainly not people who set out to demonstrate their valour. Theirs was the quiet, unspoken courage of those who knowingly put themselves at risk in their dedication to their calling, determined the world should learn the truth about events in dangerous or turbulent places. That commitment is not only the mark of an outstanding journalist, it lies at the very heart of the news values and standards that we in Reuters seek to uphold.
Every death or injury of a Reuter journalist has been felt keenly by the entire organisation, although the deeper grief and lasting pain is naturally that of families and friends. Each of these accounts warns us of the need to minimise the risks to our news staff, to impress upon them that there is no shame in avoiding danger. But this book also serves to remind us that there are still reporters, photographers and camera operators around the world who are facing great risk on a daily basis in pursuit of their chosen profession.
We mourn each of these brave Reuter journalists. We honour them for their commitment and we will ensure their sacrifice is remembered for generations to come.
Mark Wood
Editor-in-Chief, 1994
MEMORIAL BOOK SECOND FOREWORD
Journalists shouldn’t be the story.
The journalists’ job is to cover the story
…to shine light on the story
…to provide understanding of the story
…to give insight on the story
…to be the agent of transparency and truth.
Too often, however, the journalist becomes part of the story.
Too often, the journalist is arrested or tortured or wounded or killed while working.
Sometimes these tragedies happen accidentally, sometimes – too often – with intent. The result is the same.
The result is to silence.
The result is to dampen the light.
The result is to keep the insight from getting out.
The result is to stop the transparency.
In this book, Reuters journalists are the story.
They are the story because during the course of our history as a global news service they lost their lives while doing their jobs, while being journalists, while telling the world’s story.
They have not been silenced, because their stories are here, because their stories are read and give us such pride and such sadness.
By publishing this book, we celebrate their lives and express our solemn hope that journalism can occur without more of the sacrifices that we commemorate here.
David Schlesinger
Editor-in-Chief, Reuters News
December 2008
ENTRIES
● Frank Roberts, Suakim, Sudan, 15 May 1885
● Ernest Sheepshanks, Teruel, Spain, 31 December 1937
● Alexander Anderson, at sea, off Alexandria, Egypt, December 1941
● Kenneth Selby-Walker, off Sumatra, March 1942
● Kenneth Stonehouse, Bay of Biscay, 2 June 1943
● Stewart Sale, Scafati near Naples, Italy, 28 September 1943
● William Stringer, near Chartres, France, 17 August 1944
● Derek Pearcy, Korea, 26 May 1951
● Bruce Pigott and Ron Laramy, Saigon, 5 May 1968
● Najmul Hasan, Western Iran, 11 August 1983
● Wilfredo Vicoy, Northern Philippines, 25 April 1986
● Roberto Navas Alvarez, San Salvador, 18 March 1989
● John Mathai, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 4 June 1991
● Anthony Macharia, Hos Maina and Dan Eldon, Somalia, 12 July 1993
● Adil Bunyatov, Baku, 17 March 1995
● Mohamed Amin, off Comoro Islands, Indian Ocean, 23 November 1996
● Kurt Schork, Sierra Leone, 24 May 2000
● Harry Burton and Azizullah Haidari, Afghanistan, 19 November 2001
● Taras Protsyuk, Baghdad, 8 April 2003
● Mazen Dana, Baghdad, 17 August 2003
● Adlan Khasanov, Grozny, 9 May 2004
● Dhia Najim, Ramadi, 1 November 2004
● Waleed Khaled, Baghdad, 28 August 2005
● Namir Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh, Baghdad, 12 July 2007
● Fadel Shana, Gaza, 16 April 2008
● Hiro Muramoto, Bangkok, 10 April 2010
