Remembering James Foley. Northwestern University held an emotional memorial service for murdered journalist James Foley on Nov. 20 in Evanston, and Medill honored the friend and colleague by presenting him posthumously with its prestigious 2014 Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism. Medill decided to rename the award in honor of Foley this year. In a statement, Medill Dean Brad Hamm said, “Jim endures for us as a beacon reminding us of the risks implicit in shedding light where inhumanity can take hold.” Learn more about Jim’s legacy, the James W. Foley Legacy Fund (jamesfoleyfund.org) and touching moments from the service.
Matthieu Aikins receives the 2013 James Foley Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism award, the first Medill Medal awarded after its renaming, for his essay in Rolling Stone entitled “The A-Team Killings.” Aikins was selected for his work that makes the case that a 12-man U.S. Army Special Forces team, along with an Afghan translator, committed war crimes in Wardak Province in Afghanistan.
Graduate students in Medill’s National Security Journalism Initiative followed the food when they investigated the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the world’s largest humanitarian food assistance program. They worked closely with USA TODAY to craft and present the stories through the project, funded by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Less than two hours north of Chicago, Milwaukee mirrors the Windy City on a smaller scale. Meet the five Medill alumni who call Mil-town, Wisconsin’s largest city, home.
Read these stories and more in issue 89 of the Medill Magazine.