Newseum Will Host 2012 Journalists Memorial Rededication Ceremony on May 14

70 Journalists Killed in 2011 Will Be Added to Memorial

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At 10 a.m. on Monday, May 14, the Newseum will rededicate its Journalists Memorial, which honors newspeople who died or were killed in the pursuit of news. The names of 70 journalists who died covering the news in 2011 will be added to the memorial, along with two journalists from previous years. The ceremony will be held in the Newseum's Knight Studio on Level 3.

The keynote speaker at the ceremony will be Alejandro Junco, president and CEO of Grupo Reforma, which publishes El Norte, Reforma and Mural in Mexico. For more than 30 years, Junco has been a leader in establishing an independent press in Mexico, one of the most dangerous countries for journalists in the world.

"The brave men and women whose names are etched on the Journalists Memorial remind us that little about a free press is actually free," said James C. Duff, CEO of the Newseum. "Every day, journalists around the world scramble to bear witness, sometimes at great personal risk, to record the first draft of history. The Newseum is proud to honor these journalists who paid the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of the truth."

With the addition of these 72 names, the memorial will honor a total of 2,156 reporters, photographers, broadcasters and news executives from around the world, dating back to 1837.

Among the honored are several journalists who died while covering the unrest that spread throughout the Arab world last year. They include photojournalists Tim Hetherington, Chris Hondros and Anton Hammerl, killed in Libya while covering the rebellion, as well as Libyan citizen journalist Mohammed al-Nabbous, who died while streaming live audio from the fighting, and Al-Jazeera cameraman Ali Hassan Al Jaber.

Deadliest Countries for Journalists in 2011
Iraq and Pakistan: 7 deaths in each
Libya and Chile: 5 deaths in each (In Chile, a single plane crash killed five journalists.)
Mexico and Somalia: 4 deaths in each

Five Deadliest Years for Journalists
2007: 95 deaths
1994: 94 deaths
1991: 94 deaths
2009: 88 deaths
2004: 79 deaths

About the Journalists Memorial
The Newseum dedicated its new Journalists Memorial on April 4, 2008, seven days before the Newseum's Grand Opening. A previous memorial had been displayed in Freedom Park at the Newseum's former site in Arlington, Va. The Journalists Memorial gallery also features hundreds of photographs of the honored journalists as well as kiosks where information on each person can be accessed. The online Journalists Memorial database can be accessed at this link: Journalists Memorial.

About the Newseum
The Newseum — a 250,000-square-foot museum of news and history — offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. Within its seven levels of galleries and theaters, the Newseum offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made. The museum is ranked one of the top attractions in Washington, D.C. For more information visit newseum.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Newseum