If you visit some Yahoo sites you’ll see a relatively new “trending” feature that shows some of the popular names and terms on the web right now.

Today I saw Daniel Pearl’s name listed among the top 10, which was a bit surprising considering he was killed in 2002. If you are unfamiliar with his story, he was a Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped and later beheaded while reporting in Pakistan.

He made the news today because President Barack Obama signed a new law requiring the U.S. State Department to compile a list of countries that violate press freedom.

Pearl’s story was dramatized in the 2007 film “A Mighty Heart,” starring Angelina Jolie as his wife. After his death, a collection of his writings was published under the title “At Home in the World.” I would consider it an important text for journalists since it really shows how you can tell a wide range of great stories and use your unique writing voice. Even for non-journalists I would recommend it because it really embodies the title in the way he seems so comfortable exploring and embracing cultures and people from all over the world.

Here’s a link to my thoughts after reading the book in 2008.