Diane Foley, mother of journalist James Foley, who was killed by ISIS: "I want Jim's bequest to be that other hostages can return home."

On Wednesday, October 21, the first edition of “Pioneers: Voices That Inspire” was held in Madrid. The featured speakers were Diane Foley, co-author with Colum McCann of the book *American Mother* and founder and president of the James W. Foley Foundation, established report in memory of her son, journalist James Foley, who was killed by ISIS in Syria in 2014; and Marc Marginedas ( COM ’90), a journalist for *El Periódico*, award Luka Brajnovic, and a fellow captive of Foley’s. At the “ meeting,” moderated by Ramón Salaverría, Full Professor of Journalism at the School of Communication, discussed the pain and the value of reporting with solidarity and responsibility.

"Pioneers: Voices That Inspire" is a new forum at the University of Navarra’s School of Communication ( School of Communication ), designed as a space for meeting for those working in communication professions and to hear from those who have shaped the field. It was created in response to the erosion of freedom and its effects on communal life. For this reason, as Dean Ruth Gutiérrez Delgado noted in her presentation, “it is urgent that debates and reflection on how to practice Public Communication in the current context transcend the academic sphere and open up to professionals.” She also defended the role of journalism in times of uncertainty: “In an uncertain scenario, the call to tell the truth remains legitimate.” Diane Foley linked that same idea to her son. James, she said, covered his first stories while accompanying the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. There, he helped people understand and explain why soldiers went to war, but he also strove to comprehend the suffering of the most invisible victims and give them a voice. As a freelancer, he wasn’t dependent on media “ diary ” and stayed in those places even after they stopped making headlines, because they remained important to the public. According to his mother, what made him a good journalist was “his moral courage: the courage to speak and investigate the truth regardless of the consequences.”

Marginedas, who was held captive alongside Foley in Syria, described himself and James as “victims of a workplace accident.” He continues to cover conflicts and even returned to Raqqa, where he had been kidnapped, finding a landscape that had once terrified him completely transformed. “I don’t regret anything; the only thing I want to rethink is safety. A journalist in prison or under kidnapping cannot report on anything,” he said. On the subject of journalism in conflict zones, he was clear: “Without journalists, the warring sides feel they can act with impunity when it comes to violence. It’s important to raise awareness.”

That concern for those who do not return is also shared by Diane Foley. She admitted that she came to know her son better after his death: his generosity, his passion for his profession, his empathy. The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation is her way of continuing to promote her son’s spirit: “I want Jim’s bequest to be that other hostages can return home.” Despite what happened to her son, she argued that there is still a need for journalists to cover conflicts.

Diane Foley also decided to meet with Alexanda Kotey, one of her son’s captors, who is serving a life sentence in the United States. “I did it because I wanted the murderer to know what kind of person Jim was,” she explained. She said she was able to confront him and forgive him through God’ financial aid : “We have been surrounded by love and prayer. With love, you can do anything. I have been blessed; it’s when bad things happen that the best in people comes out.”