Journalists Memorial Rededication Ceremony

Richard Engel spoke at a Newseum rededication ceremony for its Journalists Memorial. He talked about his abduction and rescue while reporting from Syria in 2012, and why he works as a foreign correspondent. He paid tribute to his friends and fellow foreign correspondents Marie Colvin and Anthony Shadid who were killed in Syria the previous year. He also addressed the controversy surrounding the Newseum’s consideration of including two people who were killed while working at a Hamas' news outlet.

The Journalists Memorial rededication ceremony began in 1996 to honor newspeople who died or were killed in the pursuit of news. The names of 82 journalists who died covering the news in 2012 were be added to the memorial, along with six journalists killed in previous years who were recently brought to the Newseum’s attention. The 2012 death toll of 84 was the fourth highest number of journalists killed in a single year. close