The faulty logic behind WSJ reporter Gershkovich’s detention

Evan Gershkovich

Paul Beckett of The Wall Street Journal writes for The Standard about Evan Gershkovich, the Journal reporter detained in Russia.

Beckett writes, “In days past, it was typically rogue groups that captured journalists to gain attention for their cause and maybe a ransom payment. Today, it is also governments who target journalists to deflect attention from their actions.

“That is the backdrop against which Evan’s drama is playing out. At 32, he has dedicated his career so far to covering Russia. He is perfectly suited to the job. An American, he is the son of Soviet emigrés who fled persecution to settle in the United States then raised Evan and his sister, Danielle, with a deep knowledge of Russian history, language and culture.

“After being yanked out of a restaurant while he was reporting in the city of Yekaterinburg, Evan was pulled up on a false charge of espionage.”

Read more here.

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.