Paul Conroy (journalist)
{{Short description|British photographer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Paul Conroy
| image = Paul Conroy - Global Conference for Media Freedom (48258127597) (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 150px
| alt =
| caption = Conroy in July 2019
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1964|07|18|df=y}}
| birth_place = Liverpool, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = British
| other_names =
| occupation = Freelance photographer, filmmaker
| years_active =
| parents =
| spouse = {{marriage|Kate Baird|1998}}
| children = 3
| known_for =
| notable_works =
| module =
{{Infobox military person
|embed = yes
|embed_title = Military career
|allegiance = {{GBR}}
|branch = Royal Artillery
|serviceyears = 1980–1987
|rank = Gunner
|website =
}}
}}
Paul Conroy (born 18 July 1964) is a British freelance photographer and filmmaker who works in the British media. A former soldier with the Royal Artillery between 1980 and 1987, he has since worked extensively as a journalist in combat zones, producing footage from conflicts in the Balkans, the Middle East, and Libya. In 2011, he was shortlisted for the PRX Bayeux TV report along with Marie Colvin, a war correspondent with The Sunday Times.
Early life
Conroy was born on 18 July 1964 in Liverpool to Les Conroy and his wife Joan (née Mountain). He has two brothers and a sister.
2011-2012 Syrian uprising
On 22 February 2012 during the Syrian uprising, Conroy was injured while covering events from the Syrian city of Homs, a stronghold of Syrian opposition forces, after the building where he and other journalists were based was shelled by Syrian government forces. Marie Colvin and French photojournalist Remi Ochlik were killed in the attack, while Conroy was injured along with another journalist, French reporter Édith Bouvier of Le Figaro.{{YouTube|Eqx9XIwDMIc|باباعمرو إصابة صحفيين أجانب بشظايا 22-2-2012}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/world/middleeast/marie-colvin-and-remi-ochlik-journalists-killed-in-syria.html |title=2 Journalists Are Among Scores Dead in Syrian Shelling |newspaper=The New York Times |date=22 February 2012|access-date= 18 March 2012}}
Conroy suffered leg injuries in the attack and was subsequently smuggled out of the city and across the Syrian border to Lebanon.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/journalist-paul-conroy-in-good-spirits-after-syria-rescue-7452753.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/journalist-paul-conroy-in-good-spirits-after-syria-rescue-7452753.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Journalist Paul Conroy 'in good spirits' after Syria rescue |publisher=Independent Print Ltd |newspaper=The Independent |date=28 February 2012 |access-date=18 March 2012}} Avaaz coordinated the evacuation out of the city, but about twenty Syrian activists died during the evacuation operation.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17199253 |title=Profile: Global campaign group Avaaz |work=BBC News |date=29 February 2012 |access-date=23 September 2016}}{{cite news |author=Amos |first=Deborah |author-link=Deborah Amos |date=14 March 2012 |title=Aid Group's Role In Syria Pushes Limits |url=https://www.npr.org/2012/03/13/148542026/aid-groups-role-in-syria-pushes-limits |access-date=23 September 2016 |publisher=National Public Radio}}
French President Nicolas Sarkozy described the killing of Colvin and Ochlik as an assassination. It is believed that the journalists were targeted.{{cite news|url=http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/2012/02/23/syrians-targeted-journalists |title=Syrians 'targeted journalists' |publisher=News International |work=Times LIVE |date= 23 February 2012|access-date=18 March 2012}} The editor of The Sunday Times said he believed his reporter had been targeted. Conroy later described the situation in Homs as an "indiscriminate massacre" and "slaughter" and compared it to the destruction inflicted on Grozny during the Chechen Wars.{{cite news|last=Whitaker |first=Brian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/mar/02/syria-bashar-al-assad-homs#block-24#block-24 |title=Syria: Red Cross barred from Baba Amr |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2 March 2012 |access-date=18 March 2012}}
Conroy later wrote a book covering the events.{{cite book |last=Conroy |first=Paul |title=Under the Wire: Marie Colvin's Final Assignment |date=2013-10-08 |publisher=Hachette Books |isbn=9781602862364 |url=https://www.hachettebooks.com/titles/paul-conroy/under-the-wire/9781602862364/}}
Personal life
Conroy married Katherine Joye "Kate" Baird in Fort William, Highland, Scotland in 1998. They have three sons together: Max (born 1992), Kim (born 1994) and Otto (born 2000
).{{cite web |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/family-liverpool-photographer-paul-conroy-3354020 |title=Family of Liverpool photographer Paul Conroy speak of their joy and relief after he escapes from Syria |last=Shennan |first=Paddy |date=29 February 2012 |website=liverpoolecho.co.uk |access-date=17 August 2019 }} He is a supporter of football club Liverpool F.C.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47157527 |title=Premier League predictions: Lawro v A Private War stars Paul Conroy and Jamie Dornan |website=BBC Sport |date=7 February 2019 |access-date=31 January 2022}}
References
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External links
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Category:British male journalists