Remembering David Gilkey, Street Sense Award Winner

NPR

Today, our hearts go out to the friends and family of 2015 Street Sense Excellence in Journalism award winner David Gilkey. On Sunday June 5, the 50-year-old NPR photojournalist and his colleague Zabihullah Tamanna , an NPR Afghan interpreter, were killed in a Taliban ambush in southern Afghanistan.

President Ashraf Ghani called the attack cowardly and “completely against all the principles and values of Islam and humanity, and against all international laws,” reported The Washington Post.

Gilkey joined NPR in 2007. He spent most of his life sharing the stories of others through his photography. He inspired others to engage in the political and social tragedies around the world. His images highlight destruction, yet strike emotion. Last year we awarded him for a collaborative report on the homelessness crisis of U.S. veterans. Gilkey’s dedication to being a voice for those experiencing hardship is also what led to his murder.

As a photojournalist, Gilkey focused on connecting international conflict with humanity. From the devastating wars in Afghanistan and the disastrous earthquake in Haiti, to the [recent] Ebola crisis in Liberia — Gilkey was passionate about capturing the beautiful hope that persists through destruction and struggle.

Many journalists have lost their lives reporting the hard reality of people around the world. It is important that we recognize their work, in addition to the threats they faced. The 2015 Committee to Protect Journalists report lists 73 journalists killed in 2015 with the motive confirmed. Of those 73 victims: 6 deaths occurred in Iraq, 9 in France, and 14 in Syria — ranking them the three deadliest countries for journalists last year. According to CPJ, 68 percent of victims in 2015 covered politics, 47 percent covered war, and 40 percent covered human rights. In 2011, the U.S. Department of State launched the “Free the Press” Campaign to emphasize the importance of free media. The campaign’s annual conference recognizes journalists and media outlets that are oppressed because of their reporting whose situations have yet improved.

Today we honor the lives of Zabihullah Tamanna and David Gilkey. Here is a small sample of Gilkey’s work:

U.S. military veterans Marcus Bennett (from top, left to right), Henry Addington, Melinda Baca and Fred E. Parks Jr. and his wife, Jessica. (Bottom) David Gilkey photographs Marcus Bennett at a pop-up studio. From the story “What Do Homeless Vets Look Like,” 2014, which won Gilkey a Street Sense Excellence in Journalism Award. | Photos courtesy of NPR

Issues |Civil Rights|Death|Veterans


Region |Washington DC

information about New Signature, a Washington DC tech solutions and consulting firm

Advertisement

email updates

We believe ending homelessness begins with listening to the stories of those who have experienced it.

Subscribe

RELATED CONTENT