Fleet Street in shock as reporter killed in Syria
By Graham Fahy
Fleet Street was in shock today following the death of veteran Times reporter Marie Colvin,who was killed by Syrian forces.
Ms Colvin, an American reporter for the British newspaper, and photographer Remi Ochlik, both died in rocket fire as they attempted to escape when their house came under shell fire, Reuters reported.
Ms Colvin, known for wearing a black eye patch after she lost an eye due to a shrapnel wound while working in Sri Lanka in 2001, was the only journalist from a British newspaper in Homs.
She appeared on ITV news and Channel 4 news last night to report on the bombardment of the opposition stronghold.
In a report published in the Sunday Times over the weekend, Colvin spoke of the citizens of Homs "waiting for a massacre".
She wrote: "The scale of human tragedy in the city is immense. The inhabitants are living in terror. Almost every family seems to have suffered the death or injury of a loved one."
The BBC have posted a video believed to be her last report in which she describes the horror of witnessing the death of a baby hit during the shelling. It ends with her saying: "It is just unrelenting".
"Marie Colvin was a brave and determined journalist who was universally respected for her integrity and professionalism. Her reports from some of the most dangerous places in the world were always perceptive, balanced and compelling," said former Liberal Democrat leader and member of the foreign affairs committee, Sir Menzies Campell.
"She is a serious loss to the best traditions of British journalism."
Foreign secretary William Hague said he was saddened by the terrible news about Marie Colvin.
"She died helping people of Syria share their plight with the world. A great loss for us all."
