Images from the world’s frontlines will go on public display in London later this month in an exhibition that shows the escalating risks faced by freelancers— and the growing cost of bearing witness.
‘Being There: Witness, Truth & Trust’, is being staged to mark World Press Freedom Day on 3rd May. It tells the story of the past 12 months through its defining photographs— many taken in conflict zones where journalists are increasingly targeted, discredited and killed.
Last year was the deadliest year on record for journalism. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 129 journalists and media workers were killed around the world.
Mariam Dagga, was a freelance photojournalist, based in Gaza. She was among 20 people, including five journalists, killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital last August. Three days before she was killed, she captured one family’s grief at 13-year-old Karim Qdei’s funeral in Khan Younis, an image featured in the exhibition.
Hussam al-Masri, a Reuters cameraman was also killed in the attack along with Al Jazeera journalists, Mohammed Salama, freelancer Moaz Abu Taha, and Ahmed Abu Aziz. The United Nations says more than 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war with Israel.
The exhibition also features the image of the former Prince Andrew leaving a Thames Valley Police station earlier this year. Taken by Reuters photographer Phil Noble, the picture made front pages worldwide and has become one of the defining news images of the year. It will be shown publicly for the first time.
At a time when disinformation is on the rise and trust in journalism falling, the exhibition makes a direct case for eyewitness reporting — showing not just the images that shape global understanding, but the reality of how they are obtained: the courage, commitment and sacrifice.
Jon Williams, Executive Director of the Rory Peck Trust, said: “Journalists are being killed in record numbers.
“There has never been a more dangerous time to be a journalist. Every day we see the courage and resilience of those reporting from the world’s frontlines. This exhibition is about showing what it really takes to bear witness and why that work matters – about truth and trust. Both depend on journalists willing to take risks on our behalf. Lose that, and we lose our ability to understand the world as it really is.”
Produced in partnership with AFP, The Associated Press, Reuters and ST.ART Gallery, the exhibition will run from Wednesday 29 April until Sunday 3rd May. It is open daily from 12pm to 6pm. Admission is free.
