Time magazine has named "The Guardians" — killed and imprisoned journalists — as Person of the Year for 2018.
The publication explained that these individuals were chosen "for taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts, for speaking up and for speaking out."
Four different Time covers were released Tuesday, all featuring journalists from across the globe. Among them is Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October. President Donald Trump released a statement commenting on Khashoggi's killing in November, saying that the United States would stand with Saudi Arabia despite Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman being accused of ordering the killing. Saudi officials have denied the crown prince had any involvement.
The other covers feature the staff members of The Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, where in June a gunman opened fire using a shotgun, killing four journalists and a member of the paper's sales team. The suspect, Jarrod Ramos, has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo are also featured on one of the covers. The Reuters journalists are currently incarcerated in Myanmar where they were sentenced to seven years in prison. They had been working on an extensive investigative story that looked into the massacre of Rohingya Muslims. The government accused them of breaking a state secrets law. The journalists had pleaded not guilty.
Maria Ressa is featured as well. Ressa, a former CNN bureau chief and the editor of Rappler, a Philippine news website that was known for criticizing the country's government, was arrested on charges that she claims are politically motivated. She later posted bail. The government charged Ressa and Rappler with tax fraud. They have denied the accusations.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, there were 262 documented journalists behind bars around the world in 2017. These four Time covers also come in light of the age of "fake news" and increased hostility between government and the press worldwide.
WATCH: Trump's fight against 'fake news' has been a boon for media companies
