Newseum Sets Journalists Memorial Rededication for May 14

The Newseum in Washington has slated May 14 for the rededication of its Journalists Memorial.

The Memorial is a wall too full of names of journalists who have died in the line of duty, with special emphasis on those who died in 2011.

Just how dangerous journalism can be was brought home tragically this week when, just a day after talking with CNN's Anderson Cooper about the killing of a child in Syria, Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin was herself killed by Syrian forces. Also killed in the attack, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), was French photojournalist Rémi Ochlik. There were several injuries as well when their makeshift press center in the city of Homs came under attack.

CPJ Friday called for an immediate cease-fire in Syria so that the bodies of the dead can be removed and the injured journalists given medical attention.

According to CPJ, nine journalists have already died in 2012. There were 46 journalist deaths confirmed to be related to their work, according to CPJ, with another 35 deaths with unconfirmed motives.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.