There are certain people who are driven by a sense of mission to the most dangerous places on Earth.
Some are soldiers. Others are medical professionals. And still others are reporters.
Freelance journalist James Foley was one of those people drawn to the front lines, and he paid for his passion with his life.
As President Obama said Wednesday, his beheading at the hands of Islamic militants “was an act of violence that shocked the conscience of the entire world.”
To be sure, reporting from conflict zones, as Foley did, is treacherous and unpredictable. Indeed, while reporting in Libya in 2011, Foley was captured and held for 44 days.
Yet this high-risk work is imperative so the world can know what is really happening in remote and dangerous areas.
Without journalists like Foley, who are willing to put their lives on the line, many important stories would go untold.
His execution by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is illustrative of the atrocities the group routinely engages in. His killing was truly barbaric.
We grieve with Foley’s parents and loved ones. We also honor and respect the work that he did.
