061621,,,R MACAFEE...Warren...06-16-21...Tribune Chronicle/Vindicator sports editor Greg Macafee...by R. Michael Semple

Late last week, I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by the Youngstown Press Club at the DeYor Performing Arts Center in downtown Youngstown to listen to Wall Street Journal assistant Editor Paul Beckett speak about reporter Evan Gershkovich.

For those who don’t know, Gershkovich, who is a foreign correspondent working for the Wall Street Journal in Russia, was arrested on an espionage charge March 29 and is still being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison.

According to Beckett, Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be charged with espionage — a charge the Wall Street Journal vehemently denies — in Russia since the Cold War. The WSJ recently reported he will remain behind bars awaiting trial until March 30, 2024.

As I sat in the crowd and listened to Beckett speak about Gershkovich’s situation, which included his arrest, his daily schedule, how he communicates with friends and family, what is being done to get him home and a plethora of other topics, I tried to imagine what it would be like to walk in Gershkovich’s shoes.

As journalists, we often try to describe something well enough that readers feel like they are doing just that. In this situation, I couldn’t.

While it’s horrible, which doesn’t even begin to describe the position Gershkovich is in, his situation is another example of an infringement on the freedom of the press as it takes away a valuable resource of trustworthy information, which we rely on to make important decisions.

It’s also an assault on freedoms that we as journalists rely on every day to do our job. We must be able to act independently and freely to present our readers with the truth. Gershkovich was trying to do that and was jailed for it, which speaks to the authority of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Gershkovich is a 32-year-old American reporter and the son of Soviet-era emigres to the United States. He even learned Russian from his parents and built his journalism career with a focus on Russia. He was hired by the WSJ in January 2022 after working for the Agence France Press and The Moscow Times. He had written profiles about Russian dissidents, the Kremlin’s war efforts and also reported on the Russia-Ukraine war from Russian border towns.

Then it was all taken from him when he was pulled out of a restaurant by Russian security services.

During Beckett’s Q&A session, I walked around the auditorium, shooting photos for a story one of our reporters was doing and saw the expressions of the attendees. They seemed to have the same feeling I did. They couldn’t imagine what Gershkovich is going through. One day you’re doing your job, and the next you are being jailed for reasons that are not true.

But in today’s Russia, that seems to be how it works as Beckett has described Putin’s practice of taking hostages as a “business” to gain leverage and get what he wants.

Beckett described the situation of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who has been behind bars in a Russian prison since 2018 and is serving a 16-year sentence on espionage charges. He also spoke of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another U.S. Marine veteran Trevor Reed, both of whom have returned home.

Gershkovich is just another prisoner on Putin’s list to get the next thing he wants in an ongoing cycle.

However, the Wall Street Journal is doing everything it can to bring Gershkovich back to the United States. In an effort to work with the government on the case, Beckett’s role with the Wall Street Journal now is specifically focused on bringing Gershkovich home. He’s traveled around the United States and overseas to speak at events like the one that the Youngstown Press Club hosted to raise awareness of Gershkovich’s situation and continues to do so.

President Joe Biden has vowed to bring Gershkovich home, but until he is back on U.S. soil, Beckett will continue to do his job. He said as the first anniversary of Gershkovich’s arrest is approaching, the WSJ has big plans to continue to raise awareness.

He asked that attendees of the event, and supporters of Gershkovich’s cause be active on social media with the #IStandWithEvan hashtag to spread even more awareness about Gershkovich’s situation.

Let’s all stand with Evan.

Have an interesting story? Contact Greg Macafee by email at gmacafee@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @greg_macafee.