In memory of Claudia Theophilus
Friends from the media fraternity and former colleagues of ex- theSun journalist Claudia Theophilus, who was killed by a stray bullet in Lebanon on Saturday, have set up a Facebook page in her memory.
Friends from the media fraternity and former colleagues of ex- The Sun journalist Claudia Theophilus, who was killed by a stray bullet in Lebanon on Saturday, have set up a Facebook page in her memory.
The page named ‘ Keeping the Flame Alive ’ attracted tributes from her former colleagues at The Sun and online news portal Malaysiakini as well as others within the industry.
They also shared photographs of moments shared with Claudia.
Administrators of the page also highlighted Claudia's many contributions to journalism with her last position as a producer at Doha-based Al-Jazeera English news channel, as well as changes affected through her stories.
Among others, Claudia was seen in a photograph posing with farmers from Broga who were affected by the then proposed RM1.5 billion giant incinerator project, which was eventually scrapped in 2007.
"Our Claudia followed the issue to the very end. She touched so many lives in a woefully short time.” the posting said.
"You always stood for something... you stood up for people who needed it, you stood up for causes, you stood up for issues. You persevered when others gave up."
Author and columnist Dina Zaman also shared memories of Claudia.
"You taught us all at work this: work hard. Have integrity. It's okay to be incredulous and have a sense of the ridiculous. And no matter what hell you were going through, you always smiled," said Dina.
Veteran journalist Humayun Kabeer, meanwhile, described Claudia as a "true fighting spirited lioness" who spoke her mind without fear or favour.
"So much so she was nicknamed the 'policewoman' by our former
The Sun
editor (G) Umakanthan! When I had worked in
The Sun
, she was the sunshine of the news desk and gave encouragement and lifted the dark clouds off fellow journalists!" said Humayun who was also
The Sun's
former Perak correspondent.
Journalism lecturer Joethi Sahadevan recalled Claudia's advice to her as a rookie reporter.
"I remembered one thing Claudia told me which I hold dear till today: No matter how tough or unappreciative the environment is, never give less of yourself," she said.
This report was first published by The Sun on Feb 4, 2013. It is reproduced here with permission.
