Journalist James Foley. Photo by Rick Wood.

Back in the 80s I was a freelance photographer and writer for the Yukon Review, a small town newspaper in Oklahoma. As a part time journalist I didn’t face anything more dangerous than the possibility of being run over by a football player while I took photographs from the sidelines. I did get to rub shoulders with and learn from some fine professionals and I feel a certain kinship to the profession. It saddens me to note the passing of each “conflict journalist”, the brave souls who put themselves in harms way to bring us stories from the war torn parts of the world.

Yesterday the White House confirmed the authenticity of a video showing the beheading of journalist James Foley by ISIS (also called ISIL or IS). What a terrible tragedy for the family and a warning to all of us that ISIS is, as another journalist put it, “pure evil”. Foley had been held captive in Syria for 636 days when the video surfaced. The links below tell the story.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

I am passing along this request from a member of his family:

“Please honor James Foley and respect my family’s privacy. Don’t watch the video. Don’t share it. That’s not how life should be.

— Kelly Foley (@ke11yfoley) August 19, 2014”

James Foley. Photo by Jonathan Pedneault.

The White House revealed last night that earlier this summer, several dozen members of the U.S. special forces went into Syria by helicopter to attempt a rescue of Americans held hostage there. One American soldier was wounded and several ISIS operatives were killed, but the hostages had already been moved.

To get a bit of an idea what it is like to be a conflict journalist, read Foley’s story of his 44 day captivity in Libya (Iink below).

Or read the The Bang Bang Club by Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva which is about 4 conflict photographers in South Africa during the conflict over apartheid. Two of them won the Pulitzer Prize for their work. One of them was killed covering a firefight and one of them committed suicide. Or you can watch the movie of the same name.

Links

National Journal: These are the Stories James Foley Risked His Life to Tell

The Boston Globe: James Foley, exemplar of bravery to many, dies at 40

Business Insider: Here Is James Foley’s Remarkable And Terrifying Journey Into The Heart Of Qaddafi’s Libya

The Atlantic: James Foley and the Last Journalists in Syria

The Guardian: James Foley: US reveals failed special forces rescue mission within Syria