Bill Stewart (journalism)
Encyclopedia
Bill Stewart was a reporter for ABC
news in the US who was summarily shot by Nicaragua
n government forces while reporting in Managua
in 1979.
Stewart was originally from West Virginia
, and was a 1963 graduate of The Ohio State University
. An experienced foreign correspondent, Stewart had been in Nicaragua for a month reporting on the civil war
between the American-backed dictatorship and the leftist
Sandinistas
.
On June 20, 1979 Stewart was travelling in a van in the capital city of Managua with his camera crew when they were stopped at a checkpoint run by the Nicaraguan National Guard, the main force of President Anastasio Somoza Debayle
. The van was marked as a press vehicle as a precaution.
The young lieutenant
in charge of the checkpoint saw Stewart peer out of the passenger window and ordered him out of the vehicle. Stewart was accompanied by Juan Espinosa, his interpreter. Stewart held a white flag and official press documentation from the Nicaraguan government. While Stewart was escorted a few meters away from the van his cameraman, Jack Clark, began filming the scene. Clark filmed as Stewart was forced first to kneel and then to lie face down on the ground. The lieutenant then put his rifle to the back of Stewart's head and fired, killing the reporter instantly. Espinosa was killed moments later.
The video footage shocked colleagues at ABC, and it and the other US networks ran the footage in their evening news broadcasts. Over the next few days the footage was broadcast repeatedly in the United States and around the world. This horrified the American public and ultimately caused the US government to turn openly against Somoza's tottering regime.
Before the shooting, Nicaragua had been a controversial subject. Most US officials argued Somoza and his regime must be kept in power as a bulwark against Communism
. The dramatic surge in public anger following Stewart's murder made that position untenable. Support for Somoza was withdrawn and he was toppled less than a month later on July 19.
There was never any explanation as to why Stewart had been shot. The lieutenant disappeared. It is assumed that the soldiers knew Stewart was an American reporter. But at that point with the regime collapsing the soldiers were tired, angry, and badly led and may not have appreciated or cared about the damage the killing would inflict on the regime.
A fictional version of his life was told in the 1983 theatrical film, Under Fire
, starring Gene Hackman
. In the film, Stewart's death is presented differently: he is shot in the chest while standing up, and his death is captured in a series of still images by a character played by Nick Nolte
who escapes the scene in a hail of gunfire.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
news in the US who was summarily shot by Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n government forces while reporting in Managua
Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
in 1979.
Stewart was originally from West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, and was a 1963 graduate of The Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
. An experienced foreign correspondent, Stewart had been in Nicaragua for a month reporting on the civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
between the American-backed dictatorship and the leftist
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
Sandinistas
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
.
On June 20, 1979 Stewart was travelling in a van in the capital city of Managua with his camera crew when they were stopped at a checkpoint run by the Nicaraguan National Guard, the main force of President Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle was a Nicaraguan leader and officially the 73rd and 76th President of Nicaragua from 1 May 1967 to 1 May 1972 and from 1 December 1974 to 17 July 1979. As head of the National Guard, he was de facto ruler of the country from 1967 to 1979...
. The van was marked as a press vehicle as a precaution.
The young lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in charge of the checkpoint saw Stewart peer out of the passenger window and ordered him out of the vehicle. Stewart was accompanied by Juan Espinosa, his interpreter. Stewart held a white flag and official press documentation from the Nicaraguan government. While Stewart was escorted a few meters away from the van his cameraman, Jack Clark, began filming the scene. Clark filmed as Stewart was forced first to kneel and then to lie face down on the ground. The lieutenant then put his rifle to the back of Stewart's head and fired, killing the reporter instantly. Espinosa was killed moments later.
The video footage shocked colleagues at ABC, and it and the other US networks ran the footage in their evening news broadcasts. Over the next few days the footage was broadcast repeatedly in the United States and around the world. This horrified the American public and ultimately caused the US government to turn openly against Somoza's tottering regime.
Before the shooting, Nicaragua had been a controversial subject. Most US officials argued Somoza and his regime must be kept in power as a bulwark against Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. The dramatic surge in public anger following Stewart's murder made that position untenable. Support for Somoza was withdrawn and he was toppled less than a month later on July 19.
There was never any explanation as to why Stewart had been shot. The lieutenant disappeared. It is assumed that the soldiers knew Stewart was an American reporter. But at that point with the regime collapsing the soldiers were tired, angry, and badly led and may not have appreciated or cared about the damage the killing would inflict on the regime.
A fictional version of his life was told in the 1983 theatrical film, Under Fire
Under Fire (film)
Under Fire is a 1983 political film set during the last days of the Somoza regime in 1979 Nicaragua. It stars Nick Nolte, Gene Hackman and Joanna Cassidy. The story is fictional, but was inspired by actual events, namely the murder of ABC reporter Bill Stewart by Somoza forces...
, starring Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman
Eugene Allen "Gene" Hackman is an American actor and novelist.Nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two, Hackman has also won three Golden Globes and two BAFTAs in a career that spanned five decades. He first came to fame in 1967 with his performance as Buck Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde...
. In the film, Stewart's death is presented differently: he is shot in the chest while standing up, and his death is captured in a series of still images by a character played by Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
who escapes the scene in a hail of gunfire.