Who's behind the news?
Who's behind the news?
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Newsjunkie.net is a resource guide for journalists. We show who's behind the news, and provide tools to help navigate the modern business of information.
Use of Data
The Georgetowner. Political columnist, Jules Witcover, dies at 98
With experience writing in countless newspapers for half a century, Witcover never gave up his craft. For 24 years, he co-wrote “Politics Today,” with Jack Germond, a column that lived through several wars and US presidencies. -acs
NYT. Michael Lydon, founding editor of Rolling Stone, dies at 82
Familiar with the big faces of the 60s, Lydon was no stranger to the secrets of rock ‘n’ roll. Starting out at Newsweek in the mid 60s, he secured his spot in music reporting when he was transferred to San Francisco, ultimately leading him to cover the Monterey International Pop Festival. -acs
Ekathimerini. Well-respected and “ethical” Greek journalist, Avra Grigoriou, dies at 68
Greek journalist Avra Grigoriou passed away earlier this month after succumbing to wounds from self-immolation at the Zappeion Gardens in Athens. Her last words were reportedly, “I didn’t even have anything to eat.”
See also: https://www.thes.gr/koinonia/pethane-i-dimosiografos-avra-grigoriou-eiche-aftopyrpolithei-sto-zappeio/ -acs
Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Dutch journalist, Derk Sauer, dies at 72
Known for his work in the Russian free press, Sauer dedicated his life to independent journalism. Derk Sauer founded the Moscow Times, now operated in Amsterdam, as a way to increase trustworthy reporting on Russia and uphold the integrity of journalism in the post-Soviet era. -acs
Boston Herald. 38 year veteran broadcast reporter of Boston 7News, Byron Barnett, dies at 69
Barnett was a member of the Massachusetts Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame and worked at the station for over half his lifetime. According to the Boston Herald “Barnett covered crime stories, court cases, fires, big weather events, and human interest features, and he was the host of the long-running WHDH public affairs show Urban Updates.” -acs
Committee to Protect Journalists. 5 Al-Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza City
Over the weekend, 5 journalists were killed in a Gaza City tent known for housing members of the media. The air strike came after one of the deceased, Anas al-Sharif, was accused of terrorism by the Israeli government. At present, the number of journalists in Gaza drops daily, prompting concern for coverage of the war since foreign journalists are not permitted in the occupied territory. -acs
San Francisco Chronicle. Lynn Ludlow, SF State professor and acclaimed journalist, dies at 91
Ludlow worked at the now-defunct San Francisco Examiner for four decades as a writer and editor. He covered several iconic stories including ****Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s march from Selma to Montgomery, the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, and the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley. -acs
International News Safety Institute. Ángel Sevilla, director of Mexican media outlet Noticias 644, murdered in Sonora
According to INSI, "The outlet Ángel Sevilla directed had become a key source of information on security and local violence, delivered in real-time. He was the first of three journalists murdered in a three-day span." One of Sevilla's own reporters made the discovery, claiming he was trying to call his employer to inform him of the event before realizing Sevilla was among the victims. -acs
The Latin Times. Pedro Ronald Paz murdered in Mexico after wrapping up story on a local construction development
Local reporter for NotiExpres, Pedro Ronald Paz was amongst several murdered in the state of Guerrero in July. According to The Latin Times, he was walking through a commercial area when he was fatally shot 17 times by a group of armed men. -acs
The Washington Post. Richard Dyer, music journalist at the Boston Globe, dies at 82
Dyer spent three decades reviewing music at the Boston Globe, gaining fame for his taste and extensive knowledge of classical and opera. He was a tough and honest critic, and was revered for a 1973 piece in the NYT criticizing popular soprano Reneta Tabaldi. -acs
Washington Post. Morton Mintz, consumer affairs journalist, dies at 103
Known for exposing big businesses' negligence towards consumers, his most notable discovery linked physical deformities to the popular medicine thalidomide. -acs
International Federation of Journalists. Hundreds of journalists have been killed in Gaza since 2023
The death toll for journalists in Palestine has reached 174 confirmed casualties, with many more missing or wounded. The IFJ advises journalists to "wear professional safety equipment and not to travel without their media providing them with all the professional safety equipment needed to cover events." -acs
RSF. The number of journalists killed in Latin America in 2025 is already higher than last year
Thirteen journalists have been killed in Latin America this year, already exceeding the nine casualties reported in 2024. Mexico accounts for the majority of this violence, with eight journalist deaths in the past seven months. RSF urges Latin American governments to enhance protections for journalists. -acs
Washington Post. Ronnie Dugger, Progressive Texas Journalist dies at 95
Vocal advocate of the civil rights movement and critic of corporate America, Dugger was a staunch journalist unafraid of critics. -acs
Yahoo. Duff Hart-Davis, British author, historian, and journalist
Much beloved at the Sunday Telegraph, Hart-Davis was more than just a staffer, leaving behind a legacy of biographical works and in-depth studies on natural history. -acs
AP. Paul Shin, South Korean journalist dies at 84
Over his more than a half-century career, Paul Shin documented the consistently turbulent post-war landscape of his home country. -acs
NPR. David Gergen, who served as an advisor to four U.S. presidents, has passed away at the age of 83
Serving under Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton he acted “as a speechwriter, communications director and counselor to the president.” -acs
NYT. Rod Nordland chronicled the vulnerable in war zones
Covered most of the world’s major wars over four decades for The New York Times and other publications. -gjw
NYT. William Langewiesche, pilot, incisive chronicler of world's disasters
Fearless reporter traveled the world immersing himself in stories of upheaval. See Newsjunkie's obituary here, with illustration by Peter Landau. -gjw
CJR. Bill Moyer, journalist and Covering Climate Now founder
Working hard throughout his life to get news outlets to cover serious news, Moyer left nothing but a strong journalistic legacy in his wake. During his life he worked with presidents and politicians across the board, his final project “CCNow had organized 323 news outlets across the US and around the world to do one week of dedicated climate reporting.” -acs
CPJ: 19 Journalists Killed so far in 2025
15 in the Levant, 1 in Sudan, 1 in Nepal, 1 in India, 1 in Ukraine
NBC. UPDATE: Viktoriia Roshchyna was tortured and had her organs removed in Russian captivity, report says.
12 news outlets join Forbidden Stories to report on the 2023 captured, torture, and death of Ms. Roshchyna after she traveled to the Russian-occupied region of Zaporizhzhia in eastern Ukraine to report on the illegal detention and torture of Ukrainians.
The Guardian. ‘If I die, I want a loud death’: Gaza photojournalist killed
Fatima Hassouna was killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit her home in northern Gaza. Ten members of her family, including her pregnant sister, were also killed.
NYT. Max Frankel, former executive editor of NYT, dies at 94
He fled Nazi Germany and climbed to the top of American journalism as a Pulitzer-winning reporter for the Times, and later its executive editor. He spoke no English until he was ten years old. - gjw
Guardian. Jane Barbara Reed, editor of Women’s Own monthly, dies at 84
Influential voice for women in the UK during the emergence of the feminist movement. - gjw
WP. Founder-editor of Mother Jones magazine, Jeffrey Klein, dies at 77
Launched investigations into corporate malfeasance, political corruption and the influence between big business and elected officials. - gjw
CPJ. Palestinian reporters Hossam Shabat & Mohammed Mansour killed by IDF
Committee to Protect Journalists questions whether they were deliberately targeted by Israeli forces (journalists are protected under the Geneva Conventions, of which Israel is a signatory). - gjw
NYT. Pioneering Asian-American journalist, K.W. Lee, dies at 96
Journalist whose reporting led to the release of a Korean immigrant on death row in California. Also covered the Koreatown -Los Angeles community in the wake of the Rodney King police trial riots in 1992.- gjw
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Eight journalists killed so far in 2025
According to CPJ data set, seven journalists have been killed so far this year.
- gjw
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Myanmar’s military government murders local news correspondent
Myat Thu Tan, a contributor to the local news website Western News and correspondent for several independent Myanmar news outlets, was shot and killed on January 31, 2024, while in military custody in Mrauk-U in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State. - acb
DW.com (Deutsche Welle). India: Local reporters face risk of violence, murder
India: Eight journalists imprisoned in 2024 - acb
The New York Times. Selwyn Raab dies: Tenacious journalist who covered the mob
An investigative reporter for NYT and others, exposed the Mafia's influence and reach, and who helped exonerate men wrongly convicted of notorious 1960s killings. He died in Manhattan, age 90. - gjw
124 journalists were killed in 2024, mostly Palestinians in Israel's Gaza war, as global conflicts heightened threats to the press. - jy
AP. Reid G. Miller, AP international correspondent and editor, dies at 90
Reid G. Miller, a respected correspondent and editor who covered major global events—from the Rwandan genocide to U.S. interventions in Central America—has died. - jy
CPJ. Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza war
Over 100 journalists have died in Gaza since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war. -jy
WP. Jules Feiffer, cartoonist of acerbic wit and satire, dies at 95
Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer passed away on January 17, 2025, at the age of 95. He was known for his social commentary, particularly in Greenwich Village, and created a long-running comic strip for The Village Voice that spanned 40 years. - jy
Newsjunkie obit on Jules Feiffer, with portrait by Peter Landau, here.
CPJ. Al-Qaeda executes Yemeni journalist after 9 years of enforced disappearance
The Guardian. Five Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza as Israel also strikes Yemen
BB. Pat Furgurson, a journalist who reported on his colleagues’ murders, dies
Newsweek. 104 Media Workers Killed in 2024, Over Half in Gaza: Journalism Group
CPJ. 95 Journalists Killed in 2024
Statista. Number of journalists killed worldwide from 1995 to 2023
RSF. Bashar al-Assad to be prosecuted for the murder of 181 journalists since the 2011 revolution
AP. Two Romanian men charged in the stabbing of an Iranian journalist in London
The Guardian. Killing of journalists in Israeli strike could be a war crime
CPJ. Report on journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza war
Scripps. Colorado journalist Cynthia Hessin loses battle with cancer
Newsjunkie. Ukrainian journalist, Victoria Roshchyna, dies in Russia prison
The Hindu. Hindu Tamil Thisai journalist Kalyanasundaram dies at 50
Newsjunkie. Jim Hoagland, with illustration by Peter Landau
NYT. Jim Hoagland, distinguished journalist on world affairs, dies at 84
AP. 2 journalists killed in separate incidents in Mexico within 24 hours
The Guardian. ‘I couldn’t cry over my children like everyone else’: the tragedy of Palestinian journalist Wael al-Dahdouh
NYT. James Ledbetter, Media Critic and Business Journalist, Dies at 60
BBC. Three Lebanese journalists killed in Israeli strike
Detroit Free Press. Nancy Laughlin, former Detroit Free Press editor who nurtured people and newspapers, dies at 72
The Guardian. Ukrainian reporter died in Russian detention, Kyiv says
IWMF. Statement on Death of Victoria Roshchyna, 2022 Courage Award Winner
Newsjunkie. David Burnham, with illustration by Peter Landau
Deadline. David Burnham Dies: New York Times Investigative Reporter Whose Work Inspired ‘Serpico’ Was 91.
Reuters. Belal Jadallah, Hassouna Sleem and Sary Mansour killed in Gaza
Willamette Week. In remembrance: Reuter’s journalist Issam Abdallah killed in Gaza, October 16, 2023
Edited by Alex Smythe, Jenny Young, Damon Gitelman, AC Blaisdell, and Gordon Whiting