WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — A bipartisan measure that authorizes the development and construction of a national monument to fallen journalists has passed Congress and now moves to President Donald Trump’s desk for a signature.
The privately funded memorial would be constructed on federal lands within the District of Columbia and would honor journalists, photographers, and broadcasters killed in the line of duty.
The bill was cosponsored by New Hampshire Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, who noted James Foley as one of the many journalists who deserves to be honored. Foley, who grew up in New Hampshire, was covering the Syrian civil war in 2012 when he was kidnapped in northern Syria. For 21 months he was held hostage before becoming the first U.S. hostage to be killed by the Islamic State in a violent beheading.
Not long after his death, his mother, Diane Foley, started a foundation in his name to raise awareness and support the work of freelance journalists, like her son. NEWS CENTER Maine spoke with her in 2018 ahead of a fundraiser for the foundation.
"In conflict zones more and more of the bigger corporations are aware that they don't want their staff people going in country. They know how dangerous it is," Diane Foley said. "So it's creating black holes if you will. It's creating black holes if you will. It's creating parts of the world that nobody knows anything about. If we stop reporting the truth then people won't know and then our freedom is at risk."
“A free press is essential for the wellbeing of our citizenry and the stability of our democracy,” Hassan said. “This new memorial symbolizes our sacred First Amendment right by honoring America’s journalists, including New Hampshire’s own James Foley, who have given their lives to expose hard truths and report the news.”
“The threats and violence facing journalists around the world are alarming and we have many brave men and women who went to extraordinary lengths to report the news and uncover the truth. New Hampshire’s own James Foley is among these courageous individuals,” Shaheen added. “This legislation would allow us to memorialize the service of journalists like James, who put the public interest over their own safety to tell the stories that needed to be told. We must remember their names and the stories they gave us, but above all we must take additional measures to prioritize journalists’ safety. Too many lives have been taken and too many remain imprisoned around the world – this demands a U.S. and global commitment.”
Trump has been outspoken against journalism throughout his entire presidency, often treating journalists disrespectfully and referring to true reports as "fake." It remains to be seen whether he plans to approve the bill.
