Barry Bearak
Barry Leon Bearak | |
---|---|
Born | Chicago, Illinois | August 31, 1949
Occupation(s) | Journalist, professor of journalism |
Notable credit | The New York Times |
Spouse | Celia W. Dugger |
Barry Leon Bearak (born August 31, 1949, in
Bearak won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for his penetrating accounts of poverty and war in Afghanistan. The Pulitzer Prize committee cited him "for his deeply affecting and illuminating coverage of daily life in war-torn Afghanistan.".[1] Bearak was also a Pulitzer finalist in feature writing in 1987.
On April 3, 2008, Bearak was taken into custody by
Biography
Bearak began his career as a general assignment reporter for the
In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Bearak has twice received the
Bearak has been two honorary doctorate degrees, one from the University of Illinois (2003) and the other from Knox College (2008). He was the commencement speaker at the University of Illinois on May 18, 2003. https://commencement.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/BarryBearakCommencementAddress.pdf[6]
Detention in Zimbabwe
In March 2008, Bearak was assigned by the Times to cover the
On April 4, 2008, Bearak was charged by the Zimbabwean police with passing himself off as an accredited journalist.[11] However, when the Zimbabwean police realized that the press law had been changed, he was recharged with "falsely presenting himself as a journalist."[12] On April 5, 2008 The New York Times reported that local lawyers hired to fight the charges had gone to the attorney general's office and argued that there was no evidence to support the charge. Officials there agreed, and said Mr. Bearak should be released. However, back at the police station, the police refused to release Bearak. Beatrice Mtetwa, Bearak's lawyer, said: "The police advised that they had received orders from above not to release him. Obviously they got political instructions from elsewhere to hold them."[12]
Bill Keller, the executive editor of the Times, condemned the arrest and the filing of charges and said Bearak was being held on charges "that even the government's own lawyers recognize as baseless." As to the charge that Bearak had misrepresented himself as an accredited journalist, Keller called it a "ludicrous assertion."[12]
In response to the detention of Bearak and other journalists who were arrested with him, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued a statement calling on Zimbabwean authorities to "stop intimidating all journalists" and saying, "It is imperative that all journalists, foreign and domestic, be allowed to freely cover the important political situation unfolding in Zimbabwe."[13] In addition, the International Press Institute, the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in over 120 countries, called on Zimbabwean authorities to immediately release Barry Bearak. IPI Director David Dadge issued the following statement:
The regulatory structures imposed by the Zimbabwean government have long served primarily to silence journalists, both local and foreign, but are particularly problematic during this vital election period. We call on Zimbabwean authorities to promptly release Mr. Bearak, and to stop relying on arbitrary accreditation requirements to prevent independent commentary on the elections.[14]
On April 7, 2008, after spending four nights in a detention cell in Harare, Bearak was released on bail of
On April 16, 2008, a Zimbabwean court dismissed the charges against Bearak. A magistrate in a court in Harare ruled that the state had failed to provide evidence of any crime, and ordered that Bearak and British journalist Stephen Bevan be released. Upon the dismissal of the charges against Bearak, The New York Times executive editor Bill Keller thanked "many people — in particular some brave and honorable Zimbabweans — who stood by Barry" and also mentioned "officials and former officials, civic leaders and journalists' organizations in many countries" who offered support publicly and behind the scenes.[4]
References
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prize Winners / International Reporting". The Pulitzer Board. 2002. Archived from the original on 2008-02-24. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
- ^ "Zimbabwe judges decline to hear request on reporters". REUTERS. 2008-04-07. Archived from the original on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
- ^ a b Polgreen, Lydia (2008-04-07). "Times Reporter Held in Zimbabwe Jail Out on Bail". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
- ^ a b Bowley, Graham (2008-04-17). "Times Reporter Is Cleared by Zimbabwe". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
- ^ "Past Fellows: 1981," Knight-Wallace Fellows at Michigan website. Accessed Oct. 26, 2015. Archived February 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/207866
- ^ Bearak, Barry (2008-04-03). "Mugabe Foes Win Majority in Zimbabwe". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
- ^ "Police Surround Hotel in Zimbabwe". The New York Times. 2008-04-03. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
- ^ Shea, Danny (2008-04-03). "Barry Bearak, Pulitzer-Winning NYT Correspondent, Taken Into Custody In Zimbabwe". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
- ^ Wines, Michael (2008-04-04). "New Signs of Mugabe Crackdown in Zimbabwe". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ^ "Times Says that Barry Bearak Has Been 'Falsely' Charged". The New York Observer. 2008-04-04. Archived from the original on 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ^ a b c Wakin, Daniel J. (2008-04-05). "Times Journalist Still in Zimbabwe Jail". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
- ^ Dugger, Celia W. (2008-04-04). "Mugabe Will Fight On, His Party Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ^ "IPI Calls on Zimbabwean Authorities to Immediately Release New York Times Correspondent Barry Bearak" (Press release). International Press Institute. 2008-04-04. Retrieved 2008-04-04.