Reporters at risk: In honor of Evan Gershkovich

Please join the Atlantic Council, in partnership with Adrienne Arsht, on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. ET, for a conversation and reception on reporters at risk in honor of Evan Gershkovich.

Earlier this year, Russian authorities arrested Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich on false espionage charges. Now, over six months later, he remains detained in a Russian prison, with appeals denied and no clear end in sight.

Evan is not alone. His case reflects a broader global trend of press freedom and security under assault. From authoritarian crackdowns on speech, to organized crime and corruption, to ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, journalists today face a fraught reporting landscape.

Foreign correspondents, in particular, undertake significant personal and professional risks to deliver the news. Often stationed on the frontlines of conflict and crisis, these journalists experience physical, psychological, and political threats across assignments and over the course of their careers, including harassment, violence, detention, imprisonment, and other harms.

Yet, despite these obstacles, they persist. Why do they continue? What makes reporting worth the risk? How do correspondents maintain courage through adversity, and how can we instill resilience in future generations of reporters?

This event will convene leading journalists for a series of discussions about the challenges that foreign correspondents face in their work and the importance of building reporter resilience amid mounting threats to media freedom. It will also serve to raise awareness for Evan’s plight and mobilize support for his release from Russian detention.

This public event is open to press and will take place in-person at the Atlantic Council, over Zoom, and via livestream on Atlantic Council social media. A 5:30 p.m. ET reception, also open to the public, will follow event programming.

Please note that sections of this program will contain scenes from war that some may find disturbing.

Agenda

Welcoming remarks

Adrienne Arsht
Executive Vice Chair, Atlantic Council; Founder, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center and Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Center, Atlantic Council

Almar Latour
Chief Executive Officer, Dow Jones; Publisher, The Wall Street Journal

War correspondents panel featuring

John Moore
Senior Staff Photographer and Special Correspondent, Getty Images

Nick Schifrin
Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent, PBS NewsHour

Elizabeth Becker
Reporter and Author, You Don’t Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War; Former Pentagon Correspondent, The New York Times; Former Correspondent, Cambodia, The Washington Post

Thom Shanker
Director, Project for Media and National Security, The George Washington University; Former Pentagon Correspondent and Deputy Washington Editor, The New York Times