‘Part of the CPJ family’: Journalist, former hostage Terry Anderson dies at 76

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply saddened by the death of Terry Anderson, journalist and CPJ’s former vice chair and honorary chairman.

Anderson, a former Associated Press journalist who was kidnapped and held hostage in Lebanon for six years, knew firsthand the threats that faced journalists seeking to report freely, and was an outspoken and dedicated advocate for press freedom.

“Terry was part of the CPJ family for over 25 years,” said Jacob Weisberg, CPJ chair. “He took that responsibility seriously – joining CPJ to advocate on behalf of journalists at risk around the world at the highest levels. Our thoughts are with his family and especially with his daughter Sulome, herself a journalist.”

In 1998, Anderson was part of a CPJ delegation that met with then Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz to press for an end to the jailing of journalists in the country. A year later, he and CPJ colleagues traveled to Yemen to ask Prime Minister Abdel Karim al-Iryani to halt the arrests and harassment of editors and reporters there.

“Terry Anderson’s public advocacy was instrumental in freeing journalists from jail and protecting them against the worst abuses,” said former CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon, who worked closely with Anderson during the years that Simon led CPJ. “But what distinguished Terry was his personal and often private interventions on behalf of journalists held hostage around the world. Terry counseled many families experiencing helplessness and trauma. His deep compassion helped them understand they were not alone and bolstered their spirits in the darkest times.”

Anderson accepted an Emmy in 2006 on behalf of CPJ for its work in defense of press freedom. His words then resonate more than ever today, with record numbers of journalists in jail, near record levels of killings and threats against journalists in all corners of the globe: “CPJ began its work…and continues it today, not because we believe journalists deserve more protection than anyone else, but because we believe that journalists are the first to be attacked by those who wish to oppress, to deny the basic human rights and human dignity of all,” he said. “Journalists are on the front line, the first casualties in the constant fight to preserve freedom.”