NPR photojournalist David Gilkey, in remembrance

Article excerpt

David Gilkey, an NPR photojournalist who spent decades capturing conflict zones and humanitarian crises across the globe, was killed in Afghanistan in 2016 along with Zabihullah Tamanna, an NPR interpreter and fellow journalist. Gilkey's work documented both the devastation of war and moments of resilience in places few Western journalists ventured, from Sudan to Syria to Iraq. His photographs appeared in major publications and helped shape how Americans understood distant conflicts. The piece reflects on his legacy as a storyteller committed to bearing witness to human suffering and survival, and honors the risks taken by journalists and interpreters who work in dangerous territories to inform the public.