Newseum to Add 18 Journalists Killed in 2017 to Journalists Memorial on June 4

Front Pages Display Will Go Dark in Fourth Annual #WithoutNews Campaign to Raise Awareness of Threats to Journalists

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Jun 04, 2018, 06:00 ET

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, at 10 a.m., the Newseum will rededicate its Journalists Memorial, which recognizes men and women who were killed while reporting the news. The names of 18 journalists will be added to the memorial to represent all those who died in pursuit of the news in 2017. CBS News foreign correspondent Holly Williams will deliver keynote remarks during the ceremony.

On Monday, June 4, at 10 a.m., the Newseum will rededicate its Journalists Memorial, which recognizes men and women who were killed while reporting the news. These 18 journalists will be added to the memorial to represent all those who died in pursuit of the news in 2017.

The Journalists Memorial at the Newseum is a soaring two-story glass structure etched with the names of more than 2,000 journalists who have died or been killed while reporting the news. On June 4, 2018, the names of 18 journalists were added to the memorial to represent all those who died in pursuit of the news in 2017.

This year, eight of the 18 journalists who will be added to the memorial are women. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 46 journalists were killed on the job in 2017, and eight of them — or 17 percent — were women. That marks an unusual increase over previous years, when women represented 7 percent, on average, of the journalists who died reporting the news. Click here to view a complete list of the journalists being added to the memorial this year.

"Some of these women were killed covering news in war zones," said Cathy Trost, executive director of the Freedom Forum Institute. "Others were brutally murdered for reporting stories that challenged the powerful. All the journalists recognized on this memorial this year faced unprecedented dangers as they worked to report the news, often in countries where press freedom is imperiled or nonexistent."

Also today, the Newseum has blacked out its Today Front Pages exhibit as part of its annual #WithoutNews campaign. The social media campaign encourages the public to consider what the world would be like without journalists to report the news, and raises awareness of threats to journalists around the world.

With the addition of 18 journalists this year, the Journalists Memorial bears the names of 2,323 reporters, photographers, broadcasters and news executives from around the world, dating back to 1837.

About the Newseum
The mission of the Newseum, located in Washington, D.C., is to increase public understanding of the importance of a free press and the First Amendment. Visitors experience the story of news, the role of a free press in major events in history, and how the core freedoms of the First Amendment — religion, speech, press, assembly and petition — apply to their lives. Considered one of the most interactive museums in the world, the Newseum has seven levels with 15 galleries and 15 theaters. The Newseum also reaches millions of students through its robust offering of on-site classes and workshops. The Newseum is a 501(c)(3) public charity funded by generous individuals, corporations and foundations, including its principal funder, the Freedom Forum. For more information, visit newseum.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE Newseum