The Indiana Publisher

December 2019 Page 3 Congressional hearing highlights need for national memorial to fallen journalists Staff reports Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation WASHINGTON, D.C. – A national memorial is needed to pay tribute to journalists who perished not only on the front lines of battle, but whose lives have been lost while simply fulfilling their duty to deliver the news. That was the mes- sage delivered today at a Congres- sional hearing by advocates for legislation to establish a Fallen Journalists Memorial in Washing- ton, DC. "Washington has many monuments to those who have sacrificed their lives to protect our freedoms," said Barbara Cochran, President of the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation, in testimony before the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. "Yet there is no memorial on public land to the journalists who have made the same sacrifice to protect those same freedoms." Cochran is an experienced news executive who is leading the effort to raise funds to design, develop, construct and maintain a memorial "that will be an enduring tribute to the reporters, photojournalists, producers, editors and others who have died while performing their jobs as journalists," she stated. Legislation in Congress (H.R. 3465 in the House and S. 1969 in the Senate) would authorize the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation to lead the effort to build the memorial on federal land without the use of any taxpayer funds. The legislation was introduced on June 25, 2019 by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rob Portman (R-OH) and Representatives Grace Napolitano (D-CA) and Tom Cole (R-OK) near the one-year anniver- sary of the deadliest attack on journalists in U.S. history, which took place at the office of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, MD. "Journalists put their lives on the line every day to protect our democracy as well as a free and independent press," stated Rep. Napolitano in a statement before the Subcommittee. "Located all over the Nation's Capital are federal monuments dedicated to Americans who have sacrificed their lives while promoting the values of our democracy, and it is long overdue that we have a similar permanent commemorative work to honor the journalists who put their lives on the line at home and abroad to bring us the truth and defend our first amendment rights." The Subcommittee hearing was the second step in a process that the Foundation hopes will lead to Congressional enactment of the legislation in 2020. The Fallen Journalists Memorial Act cleared its first hurdle on September 24, when the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission reviewed the legislation, as required under the Commemorative Works Act. In a letter to Rep. Raul Grijalva, Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, the Commission "offered support for the purpose and need to establish a commemorative work honoring journalists who have sacrificed their lives as guardians of democracy and for a free and independent press." Read Cochran's full testimony at http://bit.ly/2YZC18d. NNA calls for civility, respect for reporters on the job Barbara Cochran, president of the Fallen Journalists Foundation, testifies before Congress on Dec. 4, 2019. Staff reports National Newspaper Association National Newspaper Associa- tion President Matthew Adelman, publisher of the Douglas (Wyo- ming) Budget, issued a call for civility and respect for journalists as they do their jobs. His call follows the release of a news report about a reporter in Chat- tooga County (Georgia) who was attacked while covering a local meeting. Reporter Casie Bryant, with an internet publication called All of Georgia, was the victim of battery when the wife of a county commissioner — who was apparently upset at the publica- tion's news coverage — poured a soda over Bryant's head while she covered the meeting. Police were called. The Summerville (Georgia) News reported that the attacker, Abby Winters, later said she tripped and accidentally poured a dark soft drink over the reporter's head. But the Summerville police report quoted witnesses hearing Winters say, "she deserved it." Adelman said the incident was a sobering reminder that journal- ists at all levels of news coverage can draw violent responses to their stories — even at an event as routine as the county budget meeting that Bryant was covering. "We are seeing a rise in attacks," Adelman said. "National news may focus upon atrocities committed on journalists in other countries and let us think that our tradition of free press protects community journalists. But the Committee to Protect Journalists says that 1,373 journalists have been killed in this country since 1992. We must be concerned when our domestic tensions wind up focusing on reporters who are simply doing their jobs. NNA is calling upon journalists to maintain their professional detachment as they stick to the facts and leave their opinions to the editorial pages, and upon public servants to remember that it is our job to cover their work."

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