RIP, Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros

Tim Hetherington

Chris Hondros

Photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros were killed yesterday in Libya.

Although I did not have the privilege of knowing either of these men, many in the Dart Society did.  Deirdre Stoelzle Graves, our executive director, communicated with Chris while he was in Libya just days ago: he was planning to donate a print to our May 12 fundraiser in New York City that will feature Gloria Steinem and Jonathan Alter and highlight many photographers’ work.

It takes a special kind of fortitude and dedication to go to the world’s most dangerous places over and over again and document what is happening there so that the world can see.

As Frank Ochberg has noted, at times journalists do this work not because there is a prospect of change, but simply so that there is some record of what happened there, so that humanity can know and confront evidence of what we can do to each other.

As a writer and “word person,” I of course love reading people’s accounts of what has taken place.  And my brother Jon and his band of photographic friends and colleagues have steadily, over the past 15 years, helped to expand my understanding and appreciation of the unique contribution photography can make to recording historic events and telling meaningful stories.

Our condolences go out to Tim and Chris’ families.  Many in the Dart and journalism communities around the world are hurting today, as, unfortunately, these events are happening all too often, due to a combination of global social upheaval and a seeming increased disregard for journalists’ safety.