Congress Passes Bill For Fallen Journalist Memorial In DC, Including Honors For Capital Gazette Journalists Killed In Mass Shooting
WASHINGTON (WJZ) — A bill to authorize the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation to establish a memorial in D.C. is headed to President Trump's desk after passing in Congress this week.
The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the legislation, the Fallen Journalists Memorial Act, co-sponsored by Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who both introduced the bill that will authorize the development and construction of the national monument to fallen journalists.
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.-32) and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.-04) also introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives.
"A free press has fought for transparency and freedom since the founding of our republic. Those who personify the First Amendment rights granted to every citizen have made our nation stronger. Too many, including five innocent souls lost in the shooting at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, gave everything they had in defense of democracy," Sen. Cardin said. "This new memorial will honor the lives of those who died reporting the news and supporting the media on behalf of the American people. It will be a steadfast symbol of their sacrifice and the fragility of our democracy."
The Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation announced the plans for the memorial over a year ago, around a year after the mass shooting at the Capital Gazette newsroom on June 28, 2018.
Five people, Gerald Fischman, John McNamara, Wendi Winters, Rebecca Smith and Rob Hiaasen, were killed by a man who intruded into the newsroom with a shotgun.
