Time chooses murdered Saudi journalist as 'Person of the Year'
Time gave the title to several journalists who were imprisoned and murdered, emphasizing the symbolic significance of their struggles.
The journalists honored “represent a larger fight by countless others around the world — as of December 10, at least 52 journalists had been murdered in 2018 — who risk their lives to tell the stories of our times,” Time magazine editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal wrote.
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| Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Photo: Time. |
Time's "Person of the Year" includes: Jamal Khashoggi - a Saudi Arabian journalist with many anti-government articles who was murdered at the consulate in Istanbul in October; Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, two Reuters journalists imprisoned in Myanmar for investigating the massacre of Rohingya Muslims.The newspaper staffCapital Gazette in Annapolis, where four journalists were killed by a gunman in June andMaria Ressa, co-founder of Rappler news site, often criticizes the PresidentRodrigo Duterte,are also on this list.Ressa isfacing 10 years in prison for tax fraud.
The magazine called them “protectors.” Felsenthal said the journalists had paid a terrible price and stressed their struggle had symbolic significance.
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| Capital Gazette staff. Photo: Time |
Time began naming its "Person of the Year" in 1927. The title is given to an individual or group of people who have had a major impact on the world and the media, either positively or negatively. In 2016, the winner was US President Trump, and in 2017, it was women who reported sexual harassment.
This year marks the first time Time has chosen a deceased person as its “Person of the Year.” The magazine said Mr Trump came second on the list, while special prosecutor Robert Mueller, who led the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the US election, came third.