International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

BOTTOM

Between 2006 and 2024, more than 1,700 journalists have been killed around the world, with close to 9 out of 10 cases of these killings remaining judicially unresolved,

Find out more HERE.

Credit: UN Photo / Tobin Jones

Teachers: Visit the free MY HERO Lesson Plan for International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. Includes discussion guide and learning outcomes.

Featured Hero: Daniel Pearl

Intro

In 2002, Daniel Pearl, an American journalist, made the headlines, not for a news-breaking story, but for his abduction and murder at the hands of terrorists in Karachi, Pakistan. He was a South Asia correspondent for the Wall Street Journal who was researching an article on terrorism when he was kidnapped.

Pearl was not the first, and certainly not the last, foreign reporter to be victimized. Journalists all over the globe are being targeted and terrorized for writing what they believe are the facts and for publishing truthful articles and insightful interviews.

Daniel Pearl was a Wall Street Journal reporter who reported the news with courage, integrity, and intelligence.

Daniel Pearl

Credit: Daniel Pearl Foundation

Films

Watch the following films about journalists sacrificing or risking their lives.

About Dan Eldon

Produced by:Jason Russell

Dan Eldon was a photojournalist who used his creativity to effect positive change for those in need. He was killed while on assignment in Somalia, but his spirit lives on in the Creative Visions Foundation, founded by his mother and sister.

The Journey is the Destination (Trailer)

Produced by:Kathy Eldon +

THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION is based on the remarkable true story of the life of Dan Eldon .

Sarah Elliot - Activist Hero

Produced by:Meyers & Mendoza

Laguna Beach native Sarah Elliot journeys to Africa, working as a photojournalist in remote regions.

Want more? Learn more about how journalists risk their lives to tell their stories.

Read the following stories about journalist heroes.

Nawal El Saadawi

By: Geeta Malik

Nawal El Saadawi continued writing while in prison; her words could not be silenced.

Dan Eldon

By: Wendy Jewell

Dan Eldon gave his life to reveal the famine in Somalia to the world.

James Nachtwey

By: Claudia Hudson

"I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated."

Stories from the Christian Science Monitor

In Russia, protesters risk prison charges to speak out about Ukraine

Credit: SOTA/AP/File

Writing With Fire’: Film captures resolve of female journalists in India

Credit: Courtesy of Music Box Films

Russia’s first homefront casualties: Reporters and the press

Credit: Imago/ZUMA Press/Newscom

Art

Artwork that celebrates journalists who have risked their lives to give us the truth

The Journey is the Destination-Self Portrait in Soweto Cell 5

By: Dan Eldon

Dan Eldon was a photojournalist, artist and activist, killed on assignment in Somalia. His illustrated journals reveal a passion for art and respect for Africa