COMMENTARY: Fallen Journalists Memorial will honor the life and work of Jeff German

I didn’t know Jeff German. But I understand the work he did, the level of dedication and professionalism involved, and the risks he faced because of his commitment to a free press.

In my career as a journalist in Annapolis, Maryland, I was stalked by an angry retired police officer. A real estate executive put a tracker on my car after I repeatedly refused to take down coverage of criminal charges against him involving a gun and two exotic dancers at his home.

Then in 2018, five of my friends were murdered in the Capital Gazette newsroom by a man furious about my newspaper’s coverage of his use of social media to harass a high school classmate.

As Americans we tend to take a free press for granted. While it’s listed first among our fundamental rights by our Constitution and our history, we complain about biases or agendas, and lament the spiraling disappearance of local news organizations that have served our communities.

Somehow, we take for granted that journalists will always be there for us when we need an injustice exposed, an accomplishment celebrated or our sense of community reaffirmed.

The murder of Jeff German and the arrest of a minor political figure he wrote about is the latest proof that there always are forces willing to take extreme measures to silence a newspaper reporter, or a television broadcaster or a photojournalist.

It is up to us as a nation, as a people, to say a free press is something worth preserving. It is something to honor as a shared value and as a fundamental necessity to the future of functioning democracy — at home and abroad.

That is why bipartisan legislation was enacted authorizing the establishment of a Fallen Journalists Memorial on public land in D.C. It will demonstrate the United States’ commitment to a free press and commemorate journalists who sacrificed their lives in service to that ideal. I’m proud to be part of that work.

The concept sprang from the June 28, 2018, attack against my newsroom in Annapolis, an attack that took the lives of journalists Rob Hiaasen, Gerald Fischman, Wendi Winters and John McNamara, as well as advertising assistant Rebecca Smith.

But in the years since it was first proposed, the memorial has found resonance in the names of all journalists who die in pursuit of the truth.

The memorial will pay tribute to the work and sacrifice of Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post columnist butchered by the Saudi regime for his insightful commentaries. It will honor the journalists killed this year covering Russia’s war on Ukraine.

It will stand for Marie Colvin, the veteran war correspondent killed in Syria 10 years ago, and Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter abducted and murdered in Pakistan 20 years ago.

When this memorial is dedicated, it will serve as a national reminder of their sacrifice. And it will stand as a tribute to Jeff German and his storied career in Las Vegas.

We have learned over the last three years that the memorial will also have meaning for those who live. Because for every journalist killed, there are untold more who contend with online harassment, government intimidation and pressure aimed at stopping their work.

We know the pressure facing journalists is worse overseas. Attacks on journalists are tracked by a number of organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists. CPJ has found that since the Taliban swept back into power in Afghanistan, the free press that sprang up during the American and allied presence has been decimated.

In Mexico, an assassination campaign targets journalists with impunity. Fifteen journalists have been killed since the start of this year.

In addition to physical space for commemoration, the Fallen Journalists Memorial will provide educational programming to remind future generations about the contributions of journalism to preserve democracy and the many forms of a free press protected by the First Amendment.

I believe that violence won’t stop a free press. After the attack in 2018, we continued the work of our colleagues. I know the staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is committed to doing the same for German. I know journalists like those of us in the extended Capital-Gazette family are pulling for them.

This nation needs a memorial to the work of my colleagues in Annapolis, those killed in Ukraine and Mexico, and reporters like Jeff German — and to the thousands of journalists pursuing the truth every day across the United States and around the world.

Rick Hutzell is a member of the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation’s Board of Advisors. He left the Capital Gazette in 2021 and now publishes the newsletter Meanwhile, in Annapolis.