Today, I'm mourning the death of Marie Colvin, Britain's foremost war correspondent, who was killed by mortar attack in Syria yesterday.
Last night I heard a radio interview she gave the day before she died. Surrounded by violence and death, she described the things she was witnessing in a calm, lucid, passionate report. I can't begin to express my admiration for her fearlessness and compassion. She was a woman whose story we should tell over and over - especially to our daughters.
I admire not only Marie's physical courage - which was extraordinary - but her moral courage as well. She wasn't afraid to speak the truth to power, to tell the stories no one wanted to hear, or to give voice to the most vulnerable - in particular, women and children.
For her, it wasn't just a matter of pursuing her art or her career by writing moving or titillating stories of people in crisis. It was a matter of exposing the horrific realities of war and calling those responsible to account. As her mother put it: “Her legacy is: Be passionate and be involved in what you believe in. And do it as thoroughly and honestly and fearlessly as you can.”
Rest in peace, Marie. You will be greatly missed. But never forgotten.
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