Memorial to journalists
- 7 Apr 08, 09:37 AM
The was re-dedicated on Friday in Washington. I helped read out a roll call of more than 1,800 journalists from all over the world who have been killed in the line of duty since 1860.
Another 92 names have been added to the memorial, making 2007 a dismal year for the . Their names have been added to a soaring wall of etched glass panels inside the , a glitzy, hi-tech tribute to journalism which opens next week just down the road from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue.
As I listened to the lengthening roll call, a bell tolling after each name, I reflected on those journalists who have paid the ultimate price, just for doing their jobs. Some were my friends, some were rivals, and some were both.
I thought of my colleagues currently hard at work in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Zimbabwe….
Journalists are often characterized as grasping, petty individuals who would sell their grandmother to get the latest forgettable gossip about a Hollywood D-lister. But Friday’s ceremony reminds us all of the worthy side of our profession.
Andrew Steele is the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s bureau chief in Washington
