Journalists Are Now Targets

If you have been following what’s going on in the Ukraine at all, you’ll know that journalists are increasingly being used as pawns in games of state.

Until recently, Ukraine has enjoyed more freedom of the press than its Russian neighbours, whose television stations and newspapers have long been bullied by the Kremlin.

In the Crimea, militants are harassing journalists and even, according to reports, stealing their laptops and cameras. In Eastern Ukraine 40 people were taken captive, among them were many journalists, including a U.S. reporter, who has since been released.

These reports are deeply disturbing not just for journalists around the globe but for people who are trying to make sense of the situation in Ukraine. If we can’t understand the full scope of the situation then we can’t make an informed situation on how to deal with the increased violence. For instance, does the Crimea actually want to separate? Only journalists can tell us what’s going on.

For a little background on the area, in 1954, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave the Crimea peninsula to Ukraine even though an overwhelming majority who live there are ethnic Russians and speak Russian. This was a very controversial move at the time, especially since Khrushchev was from Ukraine himself.

But what do we know about the region today? Who do we trust for information? Only reporters can tell us and if they are constantly being harassed, kidnapped and killed then how do we know if the referendum for sovereignty was legal and fair, or if it was corrupted by the Russian government. How can we help our governments take the correct action?

It is unfortunate the notion of neutrality seems to have all but disappeared in modern warfare. Control of information seems to be paramount and the use of fear in urban guerrilla warfare. Of course journalists have been killed in every war – Reporters Without Boarders tallied 63 deaths in Vietnam alone – but it hasn’t been until recently that militia are taking direct action against reporters.

It is unfortunate that scaring journalists seems to be working as less information is coming from war-torn areas and places with violence—even with modern technology, like cellphone cameras, information seems hard to come by.Once journalists had almost unprecedented access to wars and battles but now nobody, not even doctors and nurses seem to be safe anymore.

By Joel Mark Harris. I am a writer, journalist and film producer. Please check out my latest thriller/suspense novel Shame the Devil on sale now!

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