James Foley

 

 

 

 

Fellow Northwestern University alum, who was kidnapped in 2012 in Syria, was executed by an Islamist extremist. The video of his beheading was posted this past Tuesday. Bradley Hamm, the Dean of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, posted this statement today:

 

 

Our Medill family is shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the murder of Jim Foley. He was a courageous reporter who risked his life repeatedly to seek the truth around the world.

Journalists face threats in many forms as they try to report difficult stories that need to be told, but the attack on Jim was barbaric. It was, in a larger sense, an attack on freedoms necessary in a civilized society and across strained cultures. Jim endures for us as a beacon reminding us of the risks implicit in shedding light where inhumanity can take hold.Our thoughts today are with Jim’s parents, Diane and John, and the entire Foley family and their friends. We ask that all Medill and Northwestern students, faculty, staff and alumni join us in remembrance of Jim Foley. The loss of such a distinguished alum affects us all.