Associated Press correspondent Kathy Gannon was recognized Monday with the 2015 Tully Free Speech Award, an award given by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

In April 2014, Gannon was seriously wounded on the job after being shot several times by a commander of an Afghanistan police convoy. Gannon had been on the way to deliver ballots for elections in the country when she was shot. The elections marked the first democratic change of power in Afghanistan. The AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus was killed in the attack.

Prior to Gannon receiving the Tully Free Speech Award, The Daily Orange was interviewed the Canadian reporter to discuss her recovery and her return to Afghanistan after the attack.

The D.O.: How do you feel about receiving the Tully Free Speech Award?

Kathy Gannon: It’s a great honor. I think that it’s important to have a conversation about the value of free speech and how we define free speech, so I think these awards are significant for that reason. Personally, it’s a huge honor to be associated with an award for free speech because that’s really why we get into our profession, to practice the right of free speech.

The D.O.: How did you recover from your injury and the loss of your friend (Niedringhaus) in April 2014?

K.G.: It’s been a long year and a half. I think that, for me, I’ve worked really hard to get as much movement and strength back as possible. The left side was the worst because it was hit by six bullets. I’ve had 16 operations. A lot of my time has been spent in operations, recovery and therapy. … I’ve gone to Germany to Anja’s grave, alone with a bottle of wine and a cigarette, to have my conversation with her. I’ve been really focused on being grateful for so many things.

The D.O.: What was your relationship like with Niedringhaus?

K.G.: Anja and I had an incredible bond. We clicked from the beginning. We had been working together since 2009, as a team of photographer and writer. Neither one of us had previously worked with anyone else. She wasn’t that fond of print people. Actually, she found print people to be a little bit annoying. She had such a desire to tell the people’s story in pictures, and she did it with such tremendous heart and an eye that was remarkable.

The D.O.: What motivated you to return to Afghanistan and Pakistan after you were nearly killed?

K.G.: Covering Pakistan and Afghanistan is what I do, and I’m very good at it and I love doing that. … I won’t let some gunman decide my future.

The D.O.: What has it been like for you, coming back and reporting in those countries after the attack?

K.G.: I think I approached (it) with the same mindset as before the shooting. … I think it was very important for me to be very active … in getting the story and reestablishing myself with contacts.

The D.O.: How has your time in Afghanistan and Pakistan affected you?

K.G.: I hope it’s made me more aware of how similar we all are. It has made me realize how the very fundamentals of our profession are so important to be able to give an honest recording of history and how important it is to give an honest recording of history. … Maybe that’s something where our profession has to have some real soul searching.

Published on March 7, 2016 at 10:58 pm

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