Russia denies US request to visit WSJ reporter Gershkovich

Russia’s Foreign Ministry rejected a request from U.S. officials in Moscow to visit jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich next month, report Vivian Salama and Ann Simmons of The Journal.

Salam and Simmons write, “Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it viewed as ‘sabotage’ the denial of U.S. visas for Russian media representatives who were supposed to accompany Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on a trip to New York as part of Russia’s turn holding the presidency of the United Nations Security Council.

“‘Such sabotage, aimed at preventing normal journalistic work, will not remain unanswered,’ the ministry said. ‘In this regard, the U.S. Embassy is informed that its request for a consular visit to Mr. Gershkovich on May 11…is rejected.’

“‘Other possible retaliatory measures are currently being worked out, of which the American side will be duly notified,’ the ministry said.

“The State Department confirmed that Russia denied the U.S. Embassy’s request to visit Mr. Gershkovich on May 11.”

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Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.