‘The Guardians’: Time’s 2018 ‘Person of Year’ Is Persecuted Journalists

Time has selected “The Guardians and the War on Truth” — a group of imprisoned and killed journalists — as the magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2018.

Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in October, will appear on one of four Time “Person of the Year” covers. Last month, the CIA concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s killing, contradicting claims from Saudi officials that the 33-year-old ruler was not involved in the journalist’s death, according to The Washington Post.

Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were sentenced to seven years in prison in September for reporting on the military-backed killing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, are also recipients of the prize. Further, The Capital Gazette, the Maryland newspaper where four reporters and a sales associate were killed in a July mass shooting, was also bestowed the annual award.

Lastly, Maria Ressa, CEO of the online Philippines-based news website Rappler, will share the honor. The journalist and businesswoman has been the target of an ongoing “campaign of legal harassment” from the Philippines Justice Department for its critical coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The shortlist for this year’s “Person of the Year” award included President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, special counsel Robert Mueller, Christine Blasey Ford, and families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border.

In 2017, the magazine selected the “Silence Breakers,” a group of individuals who came forward to shed light on sexual misconduct in the United States. The cover featured pop megastar Taylor Swift, actress Ashley Judd, ex-Uber engineer Susan Fowler, and lobbyist Adama Iwu. President Donald Trump was named runner-up for the prize.