On October 2, dissident Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, where he had made an appointment to apply for papers he needed to marry his fiancee. The Washington Post columnist was critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and two weeks after his disappearance, it was confirmed he had been killed.
There has been a major international outcry over the journalist’s slaying, and many countries, governments, and organizations have spoken out following his death. Now a journalism group at his alma mater, Indiana State University, have decided to find a way to honor him, according to the Star Tribune . The university’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists are planning to dedicate a meeting space to Khashoggi.
Graduate student Andrew Hile, the university’s Society of Professional Journalists president, made a statement about the group’s intentions, and added that he hopes the meeting space will be a great lesson for future students and journalists.
“The hope is that this space will also serve as a reminder to act with courage, commitment, and integrity while tackling difficult issues in the media.”
The slain journalist attended Indiana State University from 1977 to 1982, and graduated with a degree in business administration.
HONORING KHASHOGGI: A journalism group at Indiana State University is taking steps to honor alumnus and slain Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi. More here: https://t.co/mStEsEKnZ3
— KALB News Channel 5 (@KALBtv5) December 14, 2018
The Society of Professional Journalists also hopes to raise money for another important cause, the Committee to Protect Journalists, a non-profit organization that “promotes freedom of the press and defends the rights of journalists around the world.”
“Khashoggi was a beacon for freedom of expression and freedom of the press in the Middle East and he remains a great example to all journalists because he is the embodiment of what journalism is all about,” the SPJ chapter said in a news release. “A journalist’s job isn’t to please everyone; their job is to share the truth, and Khashoggi exemplified what it means to be a ‘Guardian of Truth.’”
Khashoggi was recently named one of Time’s Persons of the Year, honoring him and his cause in an incredible way.
Senators in the United States are busy working on ways in which they could rebuke the Saudi Crown Prince for his role in the journalist’s brutal murder as Trump fails to take action. A CIA investigation has already concluded that there is “zero chance” Mohammed bin Salman was not involved in the terrible crime, but President Donald Trump has refused to accept this answer and keeps skirting around the issue as though the investigation were still ongoing and no suspect had been identified.
