National Mall site approved for memorial to fallen journalists

Federal officials have approved a site on the National Mall for the capital’s first memorial dedicated to journalists who have died while reporting the news and to the role of the free press in a democracy, the foundation planning the project announced Monday.

The Fallen Journalists Memorial will be located on a third-of-an-acre parcel in Southwest Washington between the National Museum of the American Indian and the Voice of America building. The location is bordered by Independence and Maryland avenues and Third Street SW.

The site, which has a direct view of the Capitol, was chosen to evoke journalists’ role as government watchdogs. The memorial is projected to open in 2028 and will cost as much as $50 million, which will be entirely funded by private donations. Officials said they have commitments to cover 40 percent of the cost so far. —Washington Post