YouTube Channel Honors Fallen Journalists

Yesterday, Steve Grove, Head of YouTube News and Politics, announced on both the Official Google Blog and Official YouTube Blog that the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Google and YouTube are together launching the Journalists Memorial channel on YouTube to remember the journalists who have died in the last year while reporting news around the world.

In his post on both blogs, Grove said, “As we become accustomed to nearly ubiquitous coverage of the news and events unfolding around the world, it’s easy to forget the price that is sometimes paid to obtain quality, accurate reporting on important stories—particularly in areas of conflict or in cases of government repression of the media.”

He added, “Their stories are incredible: heading into a street battle with no weapon other than your camera; talking about politics over the radio, only to be beaten to death with iron bars by a group of thugs on the way to work. The risks and sacrifices that many have made in order to provide us with accurate information is remarkable. On the Journalists Memorial channel you can watch a collection of videos representing these journalists’ lives and their work.”

Krishna Barat, the founder and head of Google News, delivered the keynote address at the Journalists Memorial Rededication Ceremony.

The Journalists Memorial channel on YouTube will become a digital version of the Newseum’s Journalists Memorial, which is re-dedicated annually to honor journalists worldwide who have died during the preceding year.

Yesterday, the names of 77 journalists who died or were killed while on assignment in 2010 were added to the memorial, which already included the names of more than 2,000 journalists who have been recognized for their sacrifices since 1837.

Meanwhile, Katie Rogers of The Washington Post reported today that several foreign journalists detained by the Libyan government could be released this week. This includes GlobalPost correspondent James Foley, Clare Morgana Gillis, who has written for The Atlantic and USA Today, and Manuel Varela, a Spanish photographer who works under the name Manu Brabo.  They have now been held in Tripoli for six weeks.

All three were taken together on April 5, 2011, by forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi while they were reporting on the outskirts of Brega, the eastern oil town that has seen some of the worst fighting since the conflict began.

A fourth journalist, South African Anton Hammerl, had also been with them at the time. But his whereabouts remain unknown.