SPECIAL CONTENT
On Press Freedom:
Reaction to The Release of Journalist Evan Gershkovich
It was hard to imagine a more touching moment than when Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, freed after 16 months in a Russian prison, touched down in Austin, Texas and lifted his mother off her feet as they hugged one another. Gershkovich, looking pale and thin, was in good spirits. Ever the reporter, he even asked for an interview with his captor, Vladimir Putin, before he left Russia, though his bosses said they would never send him back–even if Putin agreed.
I wouldn’t go either. It wasn’t easy reporting in Russia when I worked there in the mid- to late- 1980s. The KGB did arrest an American journalist then, Nick Daniloff of U.S. News and World Report, but he was released for a Russian spy after only 21 days in custody. We were not surprised by such tit-for-tat exchanges in my era. But I never thought my life was in jeopardy.
Under Putin, journalists have been murdered. American hostages like Gershkovich and Brittney Griner before him face lengthy stays in prison and show trials before being traded for convicted prisoners in the West. No self-respecting American news agency would send reporters to Moscow in those dangerous conditions. That leaves a huge news void in a vitally important capital, one that U.S. news organizations must try to fill in nontraditional ways.
In this latest case, the U.S. had no choice but to play this dangerous new Russian game if it wanted its hostages released. Russia wanted Vadim Krasikov, who was held in a German jail after murdering execution-style a Chechen fighter in broad daylight in a Berlin park. Before that, basketball star Griner was exchanged for Viktor Bout, a notorious arms dealer.
This recent exchange was unparalleled in its complexity, involving multiple countries. Above all, Germany had to be willing to offer up Krasikov, a shameless murderer. In the end, the exchange involved 24 people, including Russian dissidents who hadn’t been included in previous U.S.-Russia swaps. Unfortunately it was too late for dissident presidential candidate Alexei Navalny, who died suspiciously in a Siberian prison in February. Krasikov received a warm welcome: The Russians rolled out the red carpet for him and other released prisoners, and Putin himself showed up to greet them.
The lesson here is that Russia is stockpiling innocent American citizens like Evan Gershkovich to use as trade bait for those doing Putin’s dirty work. It’s a cautionary tale for journalists–and for Americans in general–who have to be much more vigilant about where they work or travel. Like Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, who was unjustly imprisoned in Iran, Gershkovich is advocating for those dissidents left behind in Russian prisons. “Basically everybody I sat with is a political prisoner,” he said Thursday.
For the rest of us, we are faced with a huge information vacuum. No doubt that pleases Russian leaders who prefer to tell one story–their story–about what’s happening within the country and without. As far as Putin is concerned, there can be only one story about what’s taking place in Ukraine–and it’s clearly not the one most of the world knows is true.
But no organization can in good conscience risk the lives of its correspondents by sending them to Russia. We need to rely more heavily on Russian media in exile, who are also under attack by the Kremlin, because their sources on what’s happening back home and in Ukraine are excellent. I set up an emergency fund for journalists at the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), where I proudly served as president for more than 15 years. Recently ICFJ used some of the funds for the Exile Media Toolkit https://ijnet.org/en/toolkit/exiled-media which offers resources to those brave journalists who are trying their best to fill the news void.
It’s always better to have boots on the ground, but in this perilous era we are going to have to find new ways to stay informed about the hidden activities of dangerous autocrats.
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Joyce Barnathan is the former president of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ). Previously, Barnathan served as the executive editor, Global Franchise, for BusinessWeek. Prior to that, Barnathan completed a seven-year assignment as the Asia regional editor and Hong Kong bureau manager for BusinessWeek. In addition to her reporting and editing duties, she helped launch the magazine’s Asian edition and managed its growing network of correspondents and stringers throughout the region. Barnathan came to BusinessWeek from Newsweek, where she served as State Department correspondent, Moscow Bureau Chief and Special Projects Correspondent covering presidential elections.
IAF is committed to education on press freedom. In May 2023, Joyce Barnathan spoke to IAF audiences at Northwestern Michigan College and students at Traverse City Central High School, alongside Gene Gibbons, a career journalist and White House correspondent for 6 presidents. Click here to watch the program from May 2023.
D-Day 80th Anniversary & Major Richard A. Grout
The following pieces honor the service of Major Richard A. Grout, 112th Engineer Combat Battalion, U.S. Army National Guard and those who served on D-Day and the Battle of The Bulge.
In January 2024, Major Richard A. Grout was awarded the French Legion of Honor, France's highest civilian distinction, in recognition of his courageous, impactful service to the people of France, on behalf of the United States on D-Day and beyond, in 1944. The recording of the January 2024 award ceremony is available (closed captions are recommended).
A video excerpt features a speech by Jim Bensley, Director of International Services and Service Learning at Northwestern Michigan College, illustrating how a visit with Dick Grout "made history real" for a group of NMC students.
Explore additional content which helps tell the story of Major Richard "Dick" Grout's service to our country. The video "From D-Day to The Founding of the U.N." was produced and curated by Karen Puschel Segal, former U.S. diplomat and former co-chair of the International Affairs Forum.
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