JournalismPakistan.com | Published August 24, 2012
Join our WhatsApp channel
An American freelance journalist has been missing in Syria for more than a week, his most recent employers said Thursday, expressing concern for his safety amid fierce fighting there.
The Washington Post daily and the newspaper group McClatchy reported they had lost contact with 31-year-old Austin Tice, a reporter and photographer who had been in Syria covering the revolt against the Damascus regime.
The Post said Tice, a former officer in the US Marines, entered Syria from Turkey in May and, after initially traveling with rebel fighters, made his way to the capital Damascus this month to report on the fighting there.
"Family members and editors who have worked with Tice have not heard from him since then," the paper said. Post and McClatchy editors said they were concerned and "focused intensively" on bringing about Tice's safe return.
Before becoming a war correspondent in January, Tice served as a captain in the US Marines and was deployed on combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"We understand Austin's passion to report on the struggle in Syria and are proud of the work he is doing there," said a statement from Tice's parents, Marc and Debra, who live in Houston, Texas.
Media freedom watchdog Reporters without Borders (RSF) said they had been in contact with McClatchy for several days and shared the group's concern.
"Syria is one of the most dangerous place for journalists today," RSF said, adding that 10 journalists - five of them Syrian - had been killed since the war began and that 30 are detained by the Syrian government.
Two more journalists - Palestinian reporter Bashar Fahmi and Turkish cameraman Cuneyt Unal of the US government-funded television network Al-Hurra - went missing in the Syrian city of Aleppo on August 20.
"It is thought they are being held by the security forces or a pro-government group," RSF said.
For 17 months Syria has been in the grip of fierce fighting between Bashar al-Assad's regime and a popular revolt. The Syrian government issues few press visas and many correspondents have crossed the border independently. - AFP
September 06, 2013:
August 15, 2013:
July 21, 2013:
July 15, 2013:
June 19, 2013:
April 22, 2013: Television sports announcer Al Michaels was arrested for driving under the influence in Santa Monica, California, after making an illegal U-turn. Michaels, a veteran NBC sportscaster, was cooperative with officers and scheduled to appear in court on June 26. NBC is aware of the situation.
April 10, 2013:
March 11, 2013:
April 30, 2025 Freedom of expression in Pakistan is under threat, as the 2025 Freedom Network report reveals increased arrests, censorship, and legal restrictions following amendments to PECA, posing serious risks to journalists and democratic values.
April 30, 2025 Dawn has criticized the Indian media's calls for war and condemned the banning of 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, urging a rational response after the Pahalgam attack that left 26 dead.
April 28, 2025 India has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including major news outlets and individual journalists, following the deadly Pahalgam attack. Tensions escalate as Islamabad demands a neutral probe.
April 23, 2025 Discover Dr. Nauman Niaz’s In A Different Realm: Story of Quadruple & Triple Centuries 1876–2025, a profound exploration of cricket's most monumental innings, blending historical analysis with poetic narrative.
April 23, 2025 Pakistani journalists respond in unison to a post hinting at a possible Indian military strike. Citing the 2019 ‘Swift Retort,’ they warn of a stronger response if provoked again.