Austin Tice

Early life and education

Tice is from Houston, Texas, the eldest of seven siblings. He is an Eagle Scout and grew up dreaming of becoming an international correspondent for NPR. At the age of 16, Tice attended the University of Houston for one year, then transferred to and graduated from the Georgetown University Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in 2002. He completed two years of study at Georgetown University Law Center before going to Syria as a freelance journalist during the summer break before his third and final year of law studies.

Career

Tice was previously a U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer. Tice's father said, “He was hearing reports from Syria saying this is happening and that is happening but it can't be confirmed because there really are no reporters on the ground. And he said, ‘You know, this is a story that the world needs to know about.’” He was one of only a few foreign journalists to report from inside Syria during intensification of the civil war. He entered the country in May 2012 and traveled through central Syria, filing battlefield dispatches before arriving in Damascus in late July 2012. Tice’s reporting garnered his Twitter account 2,000 followers. He stopped tweeting after August 11, 2012.

Tice was one of the first American correspondents to witness Syrian-rebel confrontations. His coverage was cited (along with efforts of additional reporters) as contributing to McClatchy winning a George Polk Award for war reporting for its coverage of Syria’s civil war.

Abduction

Tice was working as a freelance journalist for McClatchy, The Washington Post, CBS and other media when he was abducted from Darayya, Syria. Since then, there has been no contact from Tice or his captors. A 47-second video of Tice blindfolded and bound was released in September 2012. In October 2012, a U.S. spokesperson said it believed, based on the limited information it had, that Tice was in the custody of the Syrian government. No government or group in Syria has said it is holding Tice.

In February 2015, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) launched its pro bono #freeaustintice campaign. Since September 2012, RSF has been assisting and advising his family. His parents asked RSF to help them raise awareness about their son’s situation. RSF partnered with the global advertising agency J.Walter Thompson to prepare a public awareness campaign in order to do everything possible to bring Austin Tice safely home. The campaign has since garnered over 17,000 signatories and a widespread blindfold pledge on social media.