US House considering resolution on WSJ’s Gershkovich

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a resolution calling on Russia to free jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, reports William Mauldin of The Journal.

Mauldin reports, “The resolution demands Moscow release Mr. Gershkovich immediately and to provide him unfettered access to U.S. consular officials during his imprisonment. It also urges the Biden administration to bring up his detention with Russian officials and calls for the release of another detained American, Paul Whelan.

“Such resolutions don’t have the binding force of U.S. law but do show congressional support for administration policies and serve as political markers for politicians and the broader electorate.

“‘We applaud the bipartisan support from Congress to bring Evan home,’ said Almar Latour, chief executive of Dow Jones and publisher of the Journal. ‘He must be immediately released. His wrongful detention is outrageous and a blow to free press.'”

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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.