James Foley (journalist)
A freelance journalist who confronted the terror of ISIS with a camera, his death forced the world to see the human cost of conflict.
1973–2014 (age 41)·American journalist·Birthday: October 18·Generation X
Biography
James Foley was a storyteller drawn to the places others fled. After teaching in under-resourced schools with Teach For America, he found his calling in conflict journalism, reporting from Iraq, Libya, and finally Syria. He worked without the institutional shield of a major network, embedding with rebels and civilians to document the Syrian Civil War's brutal reality. His kidnapping in 2012 and subsequent murder by ISIS militants in 2014 was a watershed moment, starkly illustrating the extreme dangers faced by journalists and the use of propaganda as a weapon of war. Foley's legacy lives on through the foundation his family established, which provides safety training and support for freelance journalists navigating hostile environments.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
James was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When James Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
James's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2014Died at 41
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- Documented frontline realities as a freelance correspondent in the Libyan Civil War and the Syrian Civil War.
- His 2012 kidnapping and 2014 execution by ISIS brought global attention to the dangers faced by independent conflict journalists.
- Co-founded the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which advocates for the safe return of American hostages and journalist safety.
- His work and fate were central to the documentary 'Jim: The James Foley Story,' which won the Audience Award at Sundance in 2016.
Did You Know?
Before becoming a journalist, he was a member of Teach For America and taught literature in Phoenix, Arizona.
He was captured once before in Libya in 2011, where he was held for 44 days before being released.
The last communication from him before his disappearance in Syria was an email to his family saying, 'I'm going dark.'
“If I don't have the moral courage to challenge authority... we don't have journalism.”
