Jamal Khashoggi, Wa Lone, Kyaw Soe Oo, Maria Ressa and The Capital Gazette were given the honor.<\/b>
\nTime named a group of journalists it called \u201cthe guardians\u201d from \u201cthe war on truth\u201d as its Person of the Year. All of those named \u201chave paid a terrible price to seize the challenge of this moment,\u201d Time editor in chief Edward Felsenthal wrote.
For the first time, Time gave the honor to someone who has died, Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist who wrote for The Washington Post and was killed in October.
\u201cTime Magazine\u2019s choice to honor journalists who have lost their lives or the freedom to do their jobs is a powerful reminder of the critical role journalists play and the increasing dangers they face,\u201d said Washington Post publisher and CEO Fred Ryan. \u201cWe applaud Time for using this coveted annual award to highlight their important work. We hope this recognition will prompt our nation\u2019s leaders to stand up for America\u2019s values and hold accountable those who attempt to silence journalists who cover our communities, or in Jamal\u2019s case, an oppressive authoritarian government.\u201d
The stories of three others were highlighted on the covers, including convicted reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo who were arrested in Myanmar a year ago; indicted editor Maria Ressa, who started Philippine news site Rappler; as well as surviving members of the attacked newsroom, The Capital Gazette.
They were chosen, Felsenthal wrote \u201cfor taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts that are central to civil discourse, for speaking up and for speaking out\u2026\u201d
This is the first year Time has selected its Person of the Year under its new owners, Salesforce founder Marc Benioff, and his wife, Lynne, who officially purchased the title from Meredith last month.
The Benioffs bought the magazine for $190 million in cash and said they won\u2019t be involved in the day-to-day operations and Felsenthal stayed on as editor in chief.
Named to the publication\u2019s short list for Person of the Year were President Trump, special counsel Robert Mueller, \u201cThe Activists\u201d (including the students who survived the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Fla.,), president of South Korea Moon Jae-in, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler as well as Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.
As part of this year\u2019s Person of the Year package, Time editors also revisited last year\u2019s honorees, \u201cthe Silence Breakers.\u201d
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Sara Jerde
@SaraJerde
Sara Jerde is the digital media reporter at Adweek, covering publishers and platforms, including the OTT and streaming space.<\/p>\n