08 Dec Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation Receives Site Plan Approval from the National Capital Planning Commission
Unanimous Approval Clears Last Significant Agency Review Hurdle
December 8, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – The Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation issued the following statement after the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) last week unanimously approved the preliminary site development plan for the Fallen Journalists Memorial, which will commemorate America’s commitment to press freedom and honor journalists who lost their lives while reporting the news.
“This approval marks a major milestone for the memorial, allowing us to keep the project on schedule,” said Barbara Cochran, President of the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation. “We appreciate NCPC’s support and guidance as we work to begin the construction planning that will soon make this memorial a reality.”
Over the next few months, the foundation will work to refine elements of the site development plan recommended by NCPC to improve visitor access and experience, finalize drawings and specifications, and complete the fundraising necessary to secure a construction permit.
The Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation was launched in 2019 on the first anniversary of the deadliest assault against journalists in U.S. history when members of the Capital Gazette team were murdered in their newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland. In December 2020, President Trump signed into law bipartisan legislation that unanimously passed in Congress authorizing the foundation to design and build a Fallen Journalists Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In December 2022, Congress passed additional legislation authorizing the foundation to consider sites in an area reserved for memorials of preeminent and lasting historical significance. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) in April 2023 approved the specific location for the memorial on the National Mall and, in January 2025, approved the memorial design, calling it “elegant and poetic” and commenting that it would “establish a compelling new language for Washington’s commemorative landscape.”
The memorial will be funded entirely with private contributions. Organizations and individuals including the Annenberg Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Knight Foundation, Donald Graham, Jeff Bezos, and several anonymous donors have contributed nearly half the necessary funds.
Once completed and conveyed to the National Park Service, the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation will continue to support the memorial with programming, digital content, and educational resources. This will enhance the memorial’s visitor experience by amplifying the history of the First Amendment and a free press as it portrays the courage of individual journalists who sacrificed their lives.
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
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. With seed funding from the Annenberg and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundations, the foundation is supported by numerous leaders from all segments of the journalism community who serve on its Board of Advisors, including editors and publishers, news anchors, and photojournalists. Learn more about the Fallen Journalists Memorial and how to support this work at www.fallenjournalists.org and follow us at @FJMemorial.
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