WASHINGTON – The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation today announced the winners of its 2024 Foley Freedom Awards. The awards will be presented May 1 at a fundraising dinner celebrating the Foundation’s 10-year anniversary honoring the legacy of James Foley, a conflict journalist murdered by ISIS in Syria in 2014.
The awards honor those who demonstrate moral courage and who share the Foundation’s commitment to free Americans held unjustly captive abroad and to prevent future hostage-taking. Amna Nawaz, co-anchor of the PBS NewsHour, will be the emcee.
Foley Foundation President and Founder Diane Foley said, “In September 2024, the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation will mark the 10th anniversary of Jim’s legacy work to free Americans held captive abroad and to promote journalist safety. Please save May 1, 2024, for this important celebration of freedom, compassion, and moral courage.”
The Award Winners Are:
James W. Foley American Hostage Freedom Award – Chris Costa, a former career U.S. Army intelligence officer who served as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. He is currently executive director of the International Spy Museum and a member of the Foley Foundation’s board of directors. At the NSC, he was responsible for coordinating counterterrorism policy and strategy as well as U.S. hostage recovery activities.
James W. Foley World Press Freedom Award – Charles Sennott, founder and editor-in-chief of the GroundTruth Project, is an award-winning journalist, best-selling author, and editor with 40 years of experience in international, national, and local journalism. GroundTruth is dedicated to advancing sustainability, innovation, and equity in journalism worldwide. It launched Report for America and Report for the World, which place reporters in local newsrooms where lack of coverage endangers our democratic system. His career included co-founding GlobalPost, an international news website that included Jim Foley among its correspondents.
James W. Foley Humanitarian Award – Narrative 4, led by Colum McCann and Lisa Consiglio. The organization is dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion through storytelling. Its mission is to create a global community where young people learn to listen with radical empathy. Consiglio, the CEO, and McCann, a member of its board, are co-founders of Narrative 4.
Robert A. Levinson Excellence in Government Service Award – FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate, a 30-year veteran of the agency. He has played a pivotal role in hostage recovery, supporting the work of the FBI’s Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, and engaging with families whose loved ones are held captive. His leadership has contributed to the return of hundreds of Americans held abroad and provided accountability to perpetrators. Under his leadership, the FBI took on a key role in bringing the ISIS terrorist El Shafee Elsheikh to justice for his role in the deaths of James Foley, Kayla Mueller, Steven Sotloff, and Peter Kassig.
