The news that photojournalist Tim Hetherington has been killed and three other photographers injured in Misrata after being hit by a RPG is shocking but hardly suprising. In the confused situation there, any photographer is clearly risking his or her life.
Although I heard it first elsewhere, probably the most reliable source for up to date information is the British Journal of Photography, which as I write has been unable to confirm the stories that Chris Hondros has also died from his injuries, but many other sources seem to be reporting his death too. Guy Martin and Michael Christopher Brown were also injured, but they are said to be ‘wounded but fine.’
Hetherington worked for Vanity Fair and you can read more about him there. I wrote about him briefly when he won one of his three World Press Photo awards, and mentioned his own web site, though it may currently be hard to access.
You can read more about Hondros on the New York Times Lens blog, as well as on his own web site. There are more links for both photographers and more information on the BJP site.
Yesterday I reported for Demotix on the protests in London for and against the UN intervention in Libya, and I think today’s news makes me a little more convinced that action was necessary, although for various reasons it has not gone far enough.
Memorial service in Benghazi reported here:
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/spotlight/libya/2011/04/20114225920217386.html