When foreign correspondent Anthony Shadid presented the Joe Alex Morris, Jr. Lecture at the Nieman Foundation in 2004, he spoke eloquently about the many challenges of filing from war-torn Iraq, the changing nature of reporting in the Middle East and the growing importance of maintaining journalistic independence – themes that are as relevant today as they were eight years ago.
Shadid died of an apparent asthma attack in Syria on February 16 after two decades as a Middle East correspondent, working for The Associated Press, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post – where he won Pulitzer Prizes in 2004 and 2010 – and finally, The New York Times. He is being remembered for his exceptional storytelling, insight and courage.
No stranger to danger, he was shot in the shoulder while reporting in Ramallah in 2002. Last March, he was kidnapped along with three other Times journalists in Libya, where they were held for six days and beaten. His new book “House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East,” will be released on Feb. 28.
Nieman Fellows who knew Anthony Shadid reflect on his life:
- Rami Khouri, NF ’02, internationally syndicated columnist, author and editor at large of the Daily Star in Beirut, Lebanon
- Charles Sennott, NF ’06, executive editor and co-founder of GlobalPost