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BBC unveils 30ft glass memorial for fallen journalists
Last updated at 23:28pm on 16.06.08
Beaming into the night sky, it shines a light on the memory of those killed in the line of duty.
But the dramatic memorial on show at the BBC last night does not honour our armed forces.
Instead the 30ft glass cone, unveiled by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, pays tribute to the hundreds of journalists killed while reporting the news.
Light fantastic: The BBC memorial to journalists killed in the line of duty
The UN chief spoke of their bravery at a ceremony at the BBC's Broadcasting House headquarters in London.
The memorial, which cost almost £900,000, projects a beam of light more than half a mile into the night sky from the top of the new wing of Broadcasting House.
Every night, the beam will light up for 30 minutes, in tandem with the BBC's 10 o'clock news bulletin.
Its inscription reads in part: 'Life turns and turns on the crystal glass, silence is a voice, our voice.'
More than 1,000 media workers - an average of two a week - have died reporting the news in the past decade, according to the International News Safety Institute, which co-hosted the ceremony with the BBC. In 90 per cent of cases no one is brought to justice.
BBC chairman Sir Michael Lyons told an audience of politicians, journalists, former hostages and families of those who had been killed: 'We are all reminded of the daily risks taken by journalists in some of the world's most dangerous places.
'The implicit contract, whereby journalists place their lives at risk to help us understand the world and its events better, needs to be reaffirmed at moments like this.
That sacrifice is properly valued and the loss is widely shared.'
The unveiling of the memorial follows the recent deaths of two BBC journalists - Abdul Samad Rohani in Afghanistan and Nasteh Dahir in Somalia.
Eighteen months ago the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1738, which demanded action to end violent attacks on the news media and impunity for those who kill journalists.
The BBC's director-general, Mark Thompson, said: 'We should never forget or underestimate the risks that journalists reporting from hostile environments face.
'We hope this poignant memorial-will serve as a nightly reminder of the sacrifice made by many in the cause of free expression and journalism.'
Constructed of glass and steel, the structure, titled Breathing, is the work of Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. It was the winning entry in an international competition for the BBC's public art scheme.
International News Safety Institute director Rodney Pinder said: 'These men and women are the unsung heroes of democracy, for without a free press there can be no freedom. This shaft of light in the capital of international journalism is a visual reminder of their sacrifice.'
Reader views (1)
My father was picked up by the Pakistani army during the liberation war of 1971. He was the BBC correspondent in Dhaka at the time. His name was Nizamuddin Ahmed. I was 10 at the time of his abduction and murder. I wonder if BBC remembered my dad at dedication of the memorial. It's a great homage to those who died trying to expose tyranny.
- Samana Nizam, atlanta,usa.
