Launched on the one-year anniversary of the 2018 Capital-Gazette newsroom shooting, the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation has announced the selection of Chicago-based John Ronan Architects to design the foundation’s namesake memorial, the first national memorial dedicated to press freedom and journalists who have lost their lives in service to that cause.

The selection of the designer for the memorial marks a major milestone in the process leading up to the construction of the memorial, which was approved by Congress and received federal approval to be built at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Over the coming months, John Ronan FAIA and his team will work with the foundation’s leadership to establish a final design proposal to be presented to various agencies and commission.

John Ronan FAIA

“Following a rigorous design team selection process, John Ronan Architects was selected because of his sound grasp of our vision for the memorial, as well as his creativity and attention to detail,” said David Dreier, chairman of the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation. “Equally important, we were inspired by his unique and compelling design concept, which calls for the use of transparent materials to convey themes of clarity and light to reinforce the importance of the work of journalists, photojournalists and a free press.”

The Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation was authorized by Congress in December 2020 to build a memorial on federal land in Washington, D.C. to commemorate America’s commitment to a free press by honoring journalists who have sacrificed their lives in service to that cause. The foundation is led by the past Chairman of the Tribune Publishing Company and former U.S. Representative David Dreier, as well as former news executive and journalism professor Barbara Cochran.

On June 28, 2018, a lone gunman took the lives of five Capital Gazette employees inside the Annapolis newsroom in one of the deadliest attacks on journalists in American history. The gunman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five consecutive life terms in 2021. Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters lost their lives that day.

Image: The memorial site is a triangle parcel on the corner of Independence Avenue and 3rd Street with a direct view line of the U.S. Capitol. (Courtesy Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation)