Thread by @cmclymer

This year's White House Correspondents Dinner featured a meaningful portion of the evening on missing freelance journalist Austin Tice. Haven't heard of him? You really should. (thread)

#FreeAustinTice

Austin Tice is a U.S. Marine veteran who grew up dreaming of being a journalist. While in law school at Georgetown in 2012, he heard disturbing reports coming out of Syria with little confirmation on the ground. He thought it was a story the world needed to know. So, he went.

Over the summer of 2012, Tice filed stories on the ground in Syria for @McClatchyDC, @washingtonpost, @CBSNews and other outlets. He was part of the McClatchy team that won a @PolkAwards for their reporting on the Syrian civil war.

He gained a respectable following on Twitter for his reporting until it stopped in mid-August. The following month, a video of Tice captured and blindfolded was released. U.S. officials believe Syria's government (or its allies) have had Tice in custody since Sept. 2012.

In 2015, @RSF_en (Reporters without Borders) launched the #FreeAustinTice campaign to raise public awareness of his plight. The FBI has offered $1 million for information leading to Tice. And U.S. officials continue to lobby through back channels for his release.

In December, Tice's parents revealed they had received information that confirmed he's still alive. Saturday's White House Correspondents Dinner honored Tice and other journalists who have been captured and killed for their service in getting the truth out to the world.

According to @RSF_en, 10 journalists, citizen journalists, and media assistants have been killed on duty in 2019. At least 332, including Austin Tice, remain imprisoned or held in custody/capture for their efforts to inform the world of what's going on all around us.

To help Austin Tice and other imprisoned/captured journalists:

1. Sign the #FreeAustinTice petition to make it clear to the U.S. government that they must prioritize Tice's release: rsf.org/en/freeaustint…

2. Support @rsf_en: donate.rsf.org/b/my-donation