Last night, on the eve of Armistice Day — Veterans Day in the U.S. — more than 300 representatives from all areas of the media, as well as Prince Charles’ wife Camilla, attended a service at London’s St. Bride’s church to remember journalists who’ve died while covering the news.
St. Bride’s near the former base of many of Britain’s national newspapers — Fleet Street — is considered the spiritual home of the Press. The names of 49 journalists who died in war zones were read at the service.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, since 1992, 839 journalists have been killed while covering the news — 38 so far this year. Interestingly, a slight majority of those killed covered politics not war.
In Athens yesterday, Reuters’ editor-in-chief David Schlesinger delivered a speech at the International News Safety Institute, where he explored the changing landscape of journalism in conflict zones and considered the importance of losing stories vs. losing lives.