"Time" Names Finalists for “Person of the Year”

Time Magazine has named Meghan Markle and Ryan Coogler Person of the Year for their Short List. 

Of Markle, Time tells, “The Duchess of Sussex has brought a modern touch to the monarchy” and honors her "commitment to inclusion and giving voice to the marginalized and disadvantaged" following her marriage to the U.K.'s Prince Harry.

Coogler, who directed the Marvel blockbuster Black Panther, was included for proving "a movie can unite people" as he created "a vision of a future where Black Excellence is honored instead of minimized."

This year, the Person of the Year award was split between journalists who Time dubbed "The Guardians," men and women who reported on dictators, genocide, and social justice issues, and at times, giving their lives to do so.

"The Guardians" include slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who, as NBC News notes, was killed in Turkey's Saudi consulate earlier this year. Other honorees included four journalists and a sales assistant killed this past June at The Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland. 

“Separated families” is also among the 10 finalists on the weekly newsmagazine’s shortlist for the annual cover story, referring to the Trump administration’s massively controversial zero-tolerance policy of separating children from their parents who illegally cross into the country from Mexico. A federal judge ruled on June 26 that U.S. immigration agents could no longer enforce the policy and that the government must reunite separated families.