Journalism in times of war
For the first time a foreign journalist has been killed in in the Ukraine war. In Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, 50-year-old US reporter Brent Renaud died of gunshot wounds in a car on Sunday. A colleague and the Ukrainian driver were injured. The increasingly difficult situation for journalists covering the war prompts commentators to reflect on their profession.
Dying for the truth
Commenting on the bombings that killed US reporter Brent Renaud near Kyiv, war correspondent Francesca Manocchi writes in La Stampa:
“Brent Renaud died trying to get closer and see better. Because that is what a good reporter does. He tries to see more clearly through the shadows created by propaganda and denial. A good reporter perceives the reality of things even in the narrow gaps of bans and vetoes. He ventures further. ... Herein lies the meaning of the word 'documentary journalism'. The work that is our calling, always, but especially in war zones. To document. Taking others to where they are not. Trying to see clearly in places where all parties benefit from muddying the waters.”
On the difficulties of remaining neutral
Jyllands-Posten reflects on what it means to maintain a professional journalistic approach:
“Nope, even Jyllands-Posten is not completely objective in its coverage of the war. On the whole, our contempt for Putin's Russia and our sympathy for the Ukrainians' fighting spirit shine through. ... In wars - also in Ukraine - it simply is difficult. ... A basic principle must be that we also deal critically in our reporting with those with whom we actually sympathise. This is the only way we can show that the media are actually able to report on war events in a qualified manner. So we do what we can. But we also have to admit: it is by no means easy.”
Puncture the disinformation bubble
The West must do more to counter the Kremlin's disinformation campaign, the Financial Times demands:
“The war should prompt democracies such as the UK to rethink funding cuts for foreign-language broadcasting. They should also be investigating using satellites to beam broadcasts into Russia. ...Such efforts can never match the reach of state TV. But they can begin to seed doubt, which could then spread by word of mouth. This will take time. But the war has brought home how urgent it has now become to puncture the Kremlin's disinformation bubble.”