Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
The Los Angeles Press Club will announce Monday that it is awarding the 2015 Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism to Charlie Hebdo. The award for the French magazine will be presented by Judea and Ruth Pearl, the parents of Daniel Pearl, at the press club's annual gala dinner on June 28 at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
“We grieve and stand united with the French people, and with the families of all victims of the Paris massacre," Judea and Ruth Pearl said in a joint statement. "We are humbled by their sacrifice which has re-awakened the world to a deadly peril that must be confronted and eliminated.
"The brave hearts of Charlie Hebdo have been protecting our freedoms for several decades -- alone, it is now our duty to protect their vision for generations to come -- together. The Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism symbolizes this commitment."
Daniel Pearl was the Wall Street Journal reporter from Los Angeles who was murdered by kidnappers in Pakistan in 2002. “No act of terrorism can stop freedom of speech. Giving the Daniel Pearl Award to Charlie Hebdo is a strong message to that effect,” press club president Robert Kovacik said in his statement from the club.
Past recipients of the Daniel Pearl Award include Richard Engel, Anna Politkovskaya and Bob Woodruff.
