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American NPR Photographer, Interpreter Killed in Afghan Ambush
A Taliban hotbed, the province of Helmand is nearly entirely under the control of the militants, waging a deadly insurgency against the Western-backed Afghan government.
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War correspondents and journalists in countries like Syria and Afghanistan make peace with these dangers because they believe their commitment to the public outweighs the personal risks they face.
Mr Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the September 11 2001 attacks on Washington and NY and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR’s senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.
As many journalists, as well as those who follow the news mourn the death of NPR photojournalist David Gilkey, a former boss of his with ties to Rochester is remembering him as well.
Gilkey is the first American journalist killed in the 15-year-long Afghan war, the Times reported.
“Even though much of the world’s attention has shifted away, let no one doubt that Afghanistan remains a unsafe place for journalists – local and foreign – working to cover that protracted conflict”, said Bob Dietz, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “At NPR, our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of David and Zabihullah”.
The Afghan journalists committee described Tamanna as one of the “most experienced journalists” in the country. The 38-year-old photographer and married father of three would be there on assignment with NPR, along with three other journalists.
President Barack Obama had met Gilkey in the Oval Office after the journalist was honored by the White House News Photographers Association, said spokesman Josh Earnest, who passed along condolences from the president and first lady. Gilkey and an interpreter were killed in Afghanistan this weekend.
“We are shocked and saddened by the killing of Zabihullah Tamanna, who loved his job in the media”, said Afghan journalist Abdul Halim, a close friend. It’s not enough though.
Gilkey was cognizant of these perils, Keith Jenkins, the general manager for digital at National Geographic Society, told NPR. His Twitter profile also identified him as a freelancer with Anadolu News Agency. A total of five people were in the Humvee at the time – Gilkey, Tamanna, a heavy machine gun operator who was on the roof of the vehicle, as well as an Afghan army soldier and driver. Gilkey, 50, was an award-winning personnel professional photographer and video editor for NPR. “The things to do were unbelievable and the places to see were epic”, David once said of his work.
2009. Emerging from the Salang Tunnel, after 2 days on the road for @MorningEdition. But it was Gilkey, he said, who truly captured their personalities. “Any story you did, he made it better, because of his pictures”. “They help us understand beyond the headlines and see the humanity in others”. “Who else could pertain to a non-profit radio organization like NPR and carve out a niche for acclaimed photography?”
The former publisher says Gilkey lost his life standing up for the importance of a free and independent press, and he imagines the journalist would want to make sure the story he was working on still got covered.
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Gilkey also received a 2007 national Emmy award for a video series “Band of Brothers” about Michigan Marines in Iraq.