NEW YORK (Press Release)–The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Friday, Feb. 6, recognized two conflict journalists who, despite the inherent risks of their chosen profession, remained tirelessly committed to “finding the humanity behind the headlines” in Syria and Iraq before their lives were horrifically ended by members of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff were posthumously honored with the ADL Daniel Pearl Award, named in honor of the Wall Street Journal reporter who was abducted and killed in Pakistan in February 2002 while pursuing a story about international terrorism. The awards were accepted by the Foley and Sotloff families during the League’s 2015 National Executive Committee Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida.
“In many ways, James and Steven followed in Danny’s footsteps. It was their thirst for knowledge, their quest for answers, their interest in understanding more deeply that impelled them into journalism,” Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, said in presenting the awards. “They were not necessarily in search of the ‘big story’ that could make headlines and advance their careers. They were more interested in the people behind the stories, in finding the humanity behind the headlines.”
The awards were accepted by Diane Foley, the mother of James Foley, and Shirley and Arthur Sotloff, the parents of Steven Sotloff.
“Jim and Steven were both very courageous journalists, like Daniel Pearl,” Diane Foley said in accepting the award on behalf of her son. “They are our heroes, they are my heroes, and I thank you all for recognizing their sacrifice.”
James Foley was killed in Syria in August 2014 by the terrorist group ISIS after being held hostage for nearly two years. He was captured while reporting in Syria, near the Turkish border. Raised in New Hampshire, Foley found his way into journalism by way of teaching and writing. He graduated from Marquette University and attained his Masters from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He later studied journalism at the Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
Foley became a conflict photojournalist and worked in northern Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. In 2011, he was detained by the Libyan regime for 44 days, but eventually released. He returned to northern Syria, where in August 2014 he was captured and murdered by ISIS.
“James is remembered as a fearless journalist, one who made friends easily and cared deeply about the underdog,” Mr. Foxman said. “He was able to merge his interest in writing with his compassion for the poor, disadvantaged and suffering amid conflict.”
A native of Pinecrest, Florida, Steven Sotloff’s career in journalism took off during the Arab Spring. He worked for Time magazine, the Jerusalem Post, The National Interest, Media Line, World Affairs and Foreign Policy, among others. His body of work included a 2012 story in Time magazine about Al Qaeda fighters and commanders who were flocking to Syria as part of the effort to undermine the regime of Bashar al-Assad. He was also among a team of reporters who interviewed Libyan security guards who were at the site of the attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, where the U.S. Ambassador and other Americans were killed on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
“Steven earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues for his skilled journalism and for his fearlessness in seeking out the stories that no one else was telling,” Mr. Foxman said.
After he was kidnapped by ISIS on August 4, 2013 while working in Syria, Sotloff’s friends and family made efforts to remove references on the Internet to the fact he was Jewish, had studied in Israel and held dual U.S.-Israel citizenship. While imprisoned, Sotloff made efforts to conceal his Jewish faith from his captors while maintaining Jewish rituals, including managing to fast on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, by feigning sickness.
“Though an ardent believer in and observer of his faith, Steven nevertheless held that all religions are equal in their claim to God and salvation,” Shirley Sotloff said of her son in her acceptance speech. “One reason he chose the Middle East was to better understand Islam. He disliked the distorted view of the religion presented by our media. Steven always believed the best way to learn about something was to see it up close.”
ADL established the ADL Daniel Pearl Award in 2003 to memorialize the life and legacy of Daniel Pearl and the values he sought to promote. The award is made possible through the generosity of George and Ruth Moss of Los Angeles.
Previous recipients include: The Aladdin Project, an international nongovernmental organization based in Paris; Henrique Cymerman, veteran Middle East correspondent; Pilar Rahola Spanish journalist and former Parliament Member; the late Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis, founder of Jewish World Watch; Robert Satloff, executive director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Jeffrey Goldberg, national correspondent for The Atlantic; and Thomas L. Friedman, columnist for The New York Times.
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Preceding provided by the Anti-Defamation League