At a 2016 celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prizes that centered on Civil Rights, longtime Georgia Democratic Congressman John Lewis delivered a keynote address. In his speech, Lewis noted the role of journalists as the events of the era unfolded.
The congressman died on Friday at the age of 80. He had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in December 2019. The Pulitzer Prizes look back on his speech in memoriam.
"It was very dangerous to be a reporter," Lewis said at the Poynter-sponsored event. "If you had a pencil and a pad and if you had cameras, they would take the cameras and smash the cameras. And I saw reporters and photographers left lying in the street bleeding. And then they turned on us." Read the Tampa Bay Times' reporting on the speech here.
CSPAN also covered the evening. Lewis' remarks begin at 12:12 in this video. Alternatively, watch the full speech below.
"If it hadn't been for the media, for brave, courageous journalists, the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings," Lewis said.