The parents of an American reporter held captive in Syria for nearly than three years will launch a new campaign aimed at getting the U.S. government to step up its efforts to bring him home.
Austin Tice, 33, a former Marine captain, was covering the Syrian civil war for various news outlets when he disappeared outside Damascus on Aug. 13, 2012.
The renewed publicity push is being coordinated by his parents, Marc and Debra Tice, and the advocacy group Reporters Without Borders. Although Tice's whereabouts are unknown, his parents remain convinced that he is still alive. The Tices have made inquiries through the Syrian government, not any militant groups. They've been assured by what they describe as "credible" sources, within the U.S. government and outside it, that their son is not being held by Islamic State militants who have killed other journalists.
Reporters Without Borders, said ads directing readers to FreeAustinTice.rsf.org will run on the Web sites of more than 260 news organizations around the country. Supporters also are asked to take photographs of themselves in a gesture of support, with a black cloth tied over their eyes.
