.
Sarah Jones, the founder behind the now officially recognized Day to Remember Fallen Journalists, which is on May 3—World Press Day, discusses how she conceived the idea to start a movement where journalists and civil society could get together to remember those who have perished in the line of duty.
It felt like something was stuck in my throat. My muscles were tensing but I couldn’t ball a fist, I had to keep typing. The pressure behind my eyes was building but I had to keep looking at the computer screen and continue typing. I wasn’t really sure what I was feeling. I was nauseous and I wasn’t just angry—there was a rage building inside of me. But that isn’t who I am. I’m not an angry person.
I remember exactly which newsroom chair I was sitting in, and I remember exactly where everyone was standing. Another journalist had been murdered. But this one hit home. And I had to do something.
Over 1,187 journalists have been killed since 1992. That’s almost one journalist every week for the last 24 years. And the reality is the death of a journalist is not just the silencing of a story; it is the silencing of a story teller.
I wanted to create a moment that bridged the world of journalists and global citizens. Because of that moment in the newsroom, I was drawn out of my world as a public servant and fighting to subdue the soul that we are all made of until I left the office.
I wanted to create a moment where politics and borders didn’t matter. I wanted a moment that was just about humanity. A moment of silence, of reflection, and of gratitude. I wanted a moment to remember fallen journalists. And I wanted something global citizens could have to symbolize this moment.
The UN Foundation’s Plus Social Good was the first organization to support the idea. The organization is a global community of connectors coming together to promote positive ideas through social media. It was important for me to also go to the most reliable source I know for information on journalists killed while bearing witness.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, non-profit organization. They keep an updated list of journalists killed and have clear definitions for what this means. They keep track of how the journalists are killed whether it is murder or a dangerous assignment.
I was proud to also have the support of the Newseum and the support of a social media hub for journalists and news organizations called Muck Rack. But I also wanted media workers and non-journalists to come together. This is about journalism which is a public service and we need public servants and the public to unite regardless of any other factors.
I was so excited to get livestream, reddit, and the Knight Foundation and blessed to have the support of over 40 national press clubs and foreign correspondents club through the co-partnership of the International Association of Press Clubs.
Last year was our first year trying to put together this online event and international moment of silence. And it was successful. We reached over nine million people and there were events in several countries around the world. The beauty was that as one person I was not able to write about the events in multiple languages but bilingual people around the world showed their solidarity by tweeting in their native language.
We had formal events with moments of silence held for fallen journalists in Canberra, Australia; Jerusalem, Israel; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; London, England; New Delhi, India; Tokyo, Japan; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Vienna, Austria and Warsaw, Poland. As the #remembering went viral we saw tweets from Brazil, Chile, Libya, Sweden, Tanzania and Indonesia.
The event is on May 3rd every year, on World Press Day. But what this online event and moment of silence offers is a moment to look past borders, politics, and whatever else may create divisions in our world. It is a moment to simply remember journalists who have died while serving the public by bearing witness.
To join and show your support as a global citizen you can support by:
- Posting/Tweeting/Using #remembering on May 3rd.
- Tweeting a photo with the hashtag #remembering while wearing a remembering fallen journalists awareness ribbon.
- Observing a moment of silence at 9pm local time.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
a global affairs media network
Op-Ed: Remembering Fallen Journalists on May 3rd and Always
April 14, 2016
Sarah Jones, the founder behind the now officially recognized Day to Remember Fallen Journalists, which is on May 3—World Press Day, discusses how she conceived the idea to start a movement where journalists and civil society could get together to remember those who have perished in the line of duty.
It felt like something was stuck in my throat. My muscles were tensing but I couldn’t ball a fist, I had to keep typing. The pressure behind my eyes was building but I had to keep looking at the computer screen and continue typing. I wasn’t really sure what I was feeling. I was nauseous and I wasn’t just angry—there was a rage building inside of me. But that isn’t who I am. I’m not an angry person.
I remember exactly which newsroom chair I was sitting in, and I remember exactly where everyone was standing. Another journalist had been murdered. But this one hit home. And I had to do something.
Over 1,187 journalists have been killed since 1992. That’s almost one journalist every week for the last 24 years. And the reality is the death of a journalist is not just the silencing of a story; it is the silencing of a story teller.
I wanted to create a moment that bridged the world of journalists and global citizens. Because of that moment in the newsroom, I was drawn out of my world as a public servant and fighting to subdue the soul that we are all made of until I left the office.
I wanted to create a moment where politics and borders didn’t matter. I wanted a moment that was just about humanity. A moment of silence, of reflection, and of gratitude. I wanted a moment to remember fallen journalists. And I wanted something global citizens could have to symbolize this moment.
The UN Foundation’s Plus Social Good was the first organization to support the idea. The organization is a global community of connectors coming together to promote positive ideas through social media. It was important for me to also go to the most reliable source I know for information on journalists killed while bearing witness.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, non-profit organization. They keep an updated list of journalists killed and have clear definitions for what this means. They keep track of how the journalists are killed whether it is murder or a dangerous assignment.
I was proud to also have the support of the Newseum and the support of a social media hub for journalists and news organizations called Muck Rack. But I also wanted media workers and non-journalists to come together. This is about journalism which is a public service and we need public servants and the public to unite regardless of any other factors.
I was so excited to get livestream, reddit, and the Knight Foundation and blessed to have the support of over 40 national press clubs and foreign correspondents club through the co-partnership of the International Association of Press Clubs.
Last year was our first year trying to put together this online event and international moment of silence. And it was successful. We reached over nine million people and there were events in several countries around the world. The beauty was that as one person I was not able to write about the events in multiple languages but bilingual people around the world showed their solidarity by tweeting in their native language.
We had formal events with moments of silence held for fallen journalists in Canberra, Australia; Jerusalem, Israel; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; London, England; New Delhi, India; Tokyo, Japan; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Vienna, Austria and Warsaw, Poland. As the #remembering went viral we saw tweets from Brazil, Chile, Libya, Sweden, Tanzania and Indonesia.
The event is on May 3rd every year, on World Press Day. But what this online event and moment of silence offers is a moment to look past borders, politics, and whatever else may create divisions in our world. It is a moment to simply remember journalists who have died while serving the public by bearing witness.
To join and show your support as a global citizen you can support by:
- Posting/Tweeting/Using #remembering on May 3rd.
- Tweeting a photo with the hashtag #remembering while wearing a remembering fallen journalists awareness ribbon.
- Observing a moment of silence at 9pm local time.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
