Washington D.C./Imphal, April 29, 2013
The Newseum at Washington, D.C., USA will honor the late journalist – Thangjam Dwijamani Singh of Imphal, Manipur during the rededication of the Journalists Memorial. The ceremony will be held on Monday, May 13, 2013 at 10:00 AM at the Journalists Memorial Gallery at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington DC, 20001.
A letter from Cathy Trost, Vice President, Exhibits and Programs of the Newseum inviting Thangjam Babu Singh (father of Dwijamani) and his family to the ceremony at Washington DC, was handed over to Thangjam Tulchand Singh (elder brother) on April 18, 2013. Mr. Tulchand accepted the letter with gratitude, and thanked the Newseum for the invitation. The letter was handed over to the family by representatives from KanglaOnline and the Imphal Free Press.
John Powell, Exhibits Writer at the Newseum, journalists from the Imphal Free Press, and members of the KanglaOnline team have been instrumental in communications between the Newseum and Dwijamani’s family.
Dwijamani (32), a resident of Thangmeiband Sinam Leikai was killed in the line of duty on December 23, 2012 near the foothills of Cheiraoching hill, Imphal, Manipur, India; while covering an arson incident which erupted as a fall out of the Livingstone / Momoko (actress) molestation incident. He was a reporter for Prime News and Doordarshan Kendra, Imphal.
Dwijamani was covering an incident of a mob burning a truck and bravely continued recording despite police firing towards him. He sustained a bullet wound on his chest and later succumbed to his injuries at RIMS hospital. He is survived by his wife and two children – a 2-year old son and a 1-year old daughter.
The Newseum in Washington, D.C. – a 250,000-square-foot museum of news – offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits.
The Journalists Memorial, located in the Newseum, pays tribute to reporters, photographers and broadcasters who have died reporting the news. The names of 2,156 individuals (as of 2012) from around the world are etched on the glass panels of the soaring, two-story structure.
The names of 84 journalists who died covering the news in 2012 will be added to the memorial, along with six journalists killed in previous years who were recently brought to the Newseum’s attention. The 2012 death toll of 84 is the fourth highest number of journalists killed in a single year.
More information about the Journalists Memorial Rededication Ceremony on May 13 is available at: http://www.newseum.org/programs/2013/0513-special-program/journalists-memorial-rededication-ceremony.html
Photos courtesy: Family of Thangjam Dwijamani
Journalists Memorial photo courtesy: Newseum