About the Foundation

On June 28, 2018, a gunman walked into the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland, and opened fire. Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters died at their desks—the deadliest attack on journalists in United States history.

One year later, former U.S. Representative and Tribune Publishing Chair David Dreier stood before a gathering of their colleagues and announced plans for something that had never existed: a national memorial to honor journalists killed while doing their jobs.

The foundation carries a dual mandate: constructing a memorial that honors fallen journalists and educating current and future generations about the critical role of press freedom as protected by the First Amendment.

The foundation’s mission is defined by the Fallen Journalists Memorial Act (Public Law 116-253), passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2020.

The Act authorizes the foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to “establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs to commemorate America’s commitment to a free press by honoring journalists who sacrificed their lives in service to that cause.” It requires the foundation to follow a comprehensive regulatory process to ensure that the memorial is appropriately designed, constructed, and located, and that sufficient private funds are provided to the National Park Service to maintain the memorial.