Thoughts on Khalid

Khalid W. Hassan, an Iraqi reporter for The New York Times, was killed Friday morning as he drove to work. His murder came the day after an Iraqi photographer and driver for Reuters were killed. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 110 reporters--the vast majority of them Iraqi--have been killed since the war began.

From all accounts, including from the people I work with, Khalid was one of the good guys. My boss recalls him laughing and joking at public events, showing people the coolest new feature of his cell phone and talking about his family. He was the sole breadwinner for his mother and four sisters, and he was planning to marry his girlfriend. He was 23 years old.

I'm only beginning to understand how dangerous it is for Iraqi reporters working for American media companies. They are seen as traitors and as supporters of the American military. Objective journalism has had no role in Iraq, and the concept of doing it "for the Americans" often is not understood. It's unclear whether Khalid was specifically targeted for his job as a reporter, but it seems likely.

Reporters here are told to lie to their friends and family about what they do during the day, to vary their route to work, not to leave at the same time two days in a row. Many of them will not have their names printed in the paper, even on stories they wrote, because of the fear that somebody will find out. And still, there's a community of journalists in Iraq who are inspired by the power of the written word, who get a rush out of reporting, who admire the work of organizations like The New York Times and The Washington Post so much that they will risk their lives to be a part of it.

Rest in peace, Khalid.