Anthony Shadid, NYT Reporter, Dies in Syria at Age 43
New York Times reporter Anthony Shadid has died on assignment in Syria at the age of 43, CNN is reporting.
A definitive cause of death for the journalist has not yet been determined, but it is believed that Shadid may have suffered an asthma attack before he died, possibly triggered by animals used for transport. Times photojournalist Tyler Hicks was with Shadid at the time of his death, and carried the reporter’s body over the Syrian border into Turkey.
In the span of his career, Shadid- who was fluent in Arabic- covered topics in the region for The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Associated Press. Back in December, the reporter spoke to NPR about his experiences in Syria in recent months, and he reflected upon his decisions:
“I’ve done things that maybe I wouldn’t have done in hindsight, and this maybe would have been one of them… It was scarier than I thought it would be. I had had a bad experience in Libya earlier in the year, [but] I did feel that Syria was so important, and that story wouldn’t be told otherwise, that it was worth taking risks for. But the repercussions of getting caught were pretty dire.”
In an email to Times staff, editor Jill Abramson eulogized Shadid, who is survived by his wife and two children:
“Anthony died as he lived- determined to bear witness to the transformation sweeping the Middle East and to testify to the suffering of people caught between government oppression and opposition forces.”
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Kim LaCapria Kim LaCapria is a writer and editor based in New York. A longtime information junkie, she began blogging full-time at the Inquisitr in 2009. Prior to that, she worked as a marketing assistant in the cosmetics and skincare industry. In addition to her writing for fortytwotimes, she also writes for Medacity and The Inquisitr. Kim is also a contributor for SocialNewsDaily, Indyposted, and TotallyMoney. In the past, she contributed to Lipstick and Luxury and managed social media accounts and blogs for several small and mid-sized businesses.
