The terrifying reality that comes with being a journalist

No one ever said being a journalist was a safe job, but nothing reminds us of that fact more than when a journalist dies as a result of a war. 

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported that Ukrainian producer and fixer working for Fox News Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova and Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrewski were killed in a shelling Monday in Gorenka, Ukraine, while covering the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

This follows the news of the death of freelance journalist Brent Renaud, who was killed just the day before while covering the refugee crisis in Ukraine for a documentary, according to an ABC News article published Tuesday. 

The story of these deaths is absolutely tragic and should be a reminder to everyone how easily we can lose people that never should’ve been lost. 

But it also is a startling wakeup call for journalists everywhere. 

I don’t think many people have thought about how dangerous a journalist’s job might be. Sure, when covering a war there is always going to be a level of danger, they can’t guarantee that they’ll be protected if it all hits the fan. 

But even journalists who aren’t covering wars put themselves at risk. 

By writing stories about certain people or covering certain events, journalists are putting targets on their backs. 

They receive countless death threats during their careers and yet continue to do the job because that’s what needed to be done. 

And that is something you have to come to terms with when entering the field, which is something I did a long time ago. 

Putting myself in danger to report the news has been something I’ve thought of quite frequently since I decided I wanted to be a journalist in high school. At one point I wanted to be a foreign correspondent or even a war correspondent if a conflict ever arose. I wrote a column about how much I was OK with the danger I could potentially be putting myself in. I was and am prepared to put a target on my back if necessary. 

I used to be able to say that with no fear. 

But what happened on Sunday and Monday brought all the fear I felt when I first started rushing back and made me think about the risks all over again.

These journalists never should have died. No journalist ever should. They are supposed to be protected from conflict as much as possible. They aren’t there to fight, they’re there to report on what is happening.

I could go on and on about Russa’s invasion of Ukraine and my thoughts on it, but I’d run out of room on this page and still not be done. Plus, I have a feeling that, like me, many of you are overwhelmed by the amount of news coming out about the Russian invasion and the consequences it’s having for the world’s economy. 

But what I will say is that the deaths of Kuvshynova, Zakrewski and Renaud are just one of the examples of how many innocent lives are being lost. Again, they never should’ve died as well as the countless innocent Ukrainian lives that have also been lost. Everyone who has died should be honored. 

We should remember these talented individuals and the sacrifice they made trying to get us up-to-date information. We should also think of the many others that are still out there working tirelessly and hope they get home safely.