In December 2020, President Donald Trump signed into law H.R. 3465, The Fallen Journalists Memorial Act of 2019, which authorizes the development of a privately funded memorial on federal land in Washington, D.C., to honor journalists who have lost their lives while reporting the news. The legislation creating this memorial was introduced by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rob Portman (R-OH) in the Senate and Reps. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) and Tom Cole (R-OK) in the House.  The legislation was shepherded through the House and Senate committee process by Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), respectively.

News Media for Open Government believes that a national memorial, located in Washington, D.C., will not only honor journalists who have sacrificed their lives in pursuit of the news, but serve as a reminder to visitors from around the world of the importance of journalism and a free press in a functioning democracy.

The Fallen Journalists Memorial (FJM) Foundation has been established to raise private funds and coordinate the design, approval, and construction of this national memorial that will pay tribute to the reporters, photojournalists, producers, editors, and others who have died while performing newsgathering duties.

To learn more about how you can support the building of the memorial go to the FJM Foundation.