Time magazineās editors have selected "The Guardians and the War on Truth" for the cover of their 2018 Person of the Year edition, recognizing a group of journalists they say are symbolic of a broader fight around the world to hold those in power to account.
The journalists include murdered Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi; Maria Ressa, the arrested editor of a Philippine news website critical of President Rodrigo Duterte; Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, two Reuters journalists imprisoned in Myanmar for nearly a year for investigating the massacre of Rohingya Muslims; and the staff at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Md. where four journalists and a sales assistant were killed by a gunman in June.
In an essay about the choice, the magazineās editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal wrote that all of the journalists included in the selection had āpaid a terrible price to seize the challenge of this moment.ā He also said their struggle is symbolic.
āThey are representative of a broader fight by countless others around the world ā as of Dec. 10, at least 52 journalists have been murdered in 2018 ā who risk all to tell the story of our time,ā Felsenthal wrote.
Simon Shuster, the magazineās Europe correspondent who contributed to the story, seconded that opinion in an interview with CTVās Your Morning from Berlin on Tuesday morning.
āWeāve included those four [journalists], but itās important to remember that they represent many of our colleagues,ā he said. āFifty-two journalists have been murdered in 2018 alone so far. This is a bigger story than just the four that are represented on the covers.ā
The inclusion of Khashoggi, who was killed at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey in early October, marks the first time the magazine has named someone who is deceased as its Person of the Year.
The Saudi Arabian journalist was a vocal critic of the kingdom and frequently spoke out in favour of freedom of expression. He was living in the U.S. before his death.
āThe impact that he had on world events was so amplified by his death,ā Shuster told Ā鶹“«Ć½ Channel on Tuesday. āIn his death he really showed us and cast a light on the regime that he fought against, that he criticized, and that killed him. Through that we saw the broader picture of the state of journalists in the world.ā
Ressa is another high-profile journalist included in the list. She co-founded the notorious Rappler news site, which is known for reporting on Duterteās extrajudicial death squads and propaganda, according to the magazine. She was recently arrested and charged with tax fraud ā an accusation that Time magazine says is widely considered to be a crackdown on Rapplerās coverage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if sheās convicted.
In Felsenthalās essay, he writes that the arrest of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo one year ago in Myanmar was a classic example of an authoritarian regime clamping down on dissent.
āIt has long been the first move in the authoritarian playbook: controlling the flow of information and debate that is freedomās lifeblood,ā he wrote.
As for the shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis earlier this year, Time magazine noted the massacre made the U.S. the fourth-deadliest country in the world to be a journalist.
āBut while the loss was immense and intensely personal, that day the staff at one of the nationās oldest news outlets did what it has done since before the American Revolution ā they put the paper out,ā Felsenthal wrote.
As for the runner-ups, U.S. President Donald Trump ranked second, while U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller was the magazineās third pick.
The choice was announced on a U.S. TV morning show Tuesday, revealing four different magazine cover designs featuring the four journalists and the Capital Gazette newspaper staff. In the cover dedicated to Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe, the jailed journalistsā wives are shown holding up photos of their husbands.
In 2017, Time magazine's editors selected "The Silence Breakersā as their Person of the Year to recognize the individuals whose testimonials about sexual harassment and assault sparked an international movement.
The year before, the just-elected U.S. President Donald Trump was Time magazine's Person of the Year. He also made the shortlist in 2017 and 2018. In its explanation for the presidentās second-place finish, the magazine notes that Trumpās lasting legacy may be more related to the opposition he inspired as opposed to any actual policy achievements.
āFor all Trumpās influence there is a crowning irony: his ultimate impact may be determined as much by the resistance he engenders as by the goals he pursues,ā the magazine said.
Shuster said āThe Guardiansā ultimately prevailed over Trump, Mueller, and all the other contenders because their stories affected the most people.
āI think some of the other candidates were fascinating and extremely impactful throughout the yearā¦ but I think what really made the editors of Time focus on āThe Guardians and the War on Truthā is because itās such a global story thatās been resonant throughout the year,ā he said.
Although Shuster admitted he found it āa bit awkwardā as a journalist to contribute to a story about journalists, he said it was necessary because the spotlight had been thrust upon the profession in the past year whether they liked it or not.
āIt is uncomfortable for us to be in the centre of the frame, but thatās not our choice. Itās these authoritarian leaders that we report on, itās these corrupt regimes that we report on, theyāre the ones who have pointed at us and said āYouāre the fake news. Youāre the enemy of the people.āā
