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RushingTech t1_je9cqia wrote

Whilst the work of these journalists is much appreciated, what were they thinking sending this dude to the middle of Russia to write about Russian recruitment for its illegal war? WSJ gambled their employee's life away

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Redqueenhypo t1_je9s310 wrote

Seriously, no one should be going to Russia. It’s the equivalent of seeing one of those “CLOSED: extreme grizzly bear activity” signs on a hiking trail and going anyway

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Professional-Can1385 t1_je9ttfz wrote

Same for Iran and North Korea.

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BALONYPONY t1_jeak9df wrote

Been a while since I’ve seen an Iranian Grizzly.

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Redqueenhypo t1_jeaygf5 wrote

Iran has bears! They’re sand colored

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BALONYPONY t1_jeb1lee wrote

Get the fuck out of here… my ignorance never fails to produce a learning opportunity.

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No-Prize2882 t1_jedvk1q wrote

I would have never doubted bears exist in Iran but I’d never have guess the color. Thanks for this.

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Todd-The-Wraith t1_jebw0uh wrote

If you’re an American it would be like going into the grizzly bear area while wearing a suit made of steaks

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Redqueenhypo t1_jebzi4t wrote

And if Russia is paying you to be there, you are either a bear yourself (Stephen Seagal) or an idiot in a salmon costume

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AnotherLightInTheSky t1_jed4rww wrote

I've never heard of a bear getting choked to unconsciousness and pooping itself

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Redqueenhypo t1_jed58vf wrote

There are bears in Russia addicted to huffing jet fuel, clearly his cousins

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Douill0s t1_jedg20a wrote

We should be even more grateful for the journalists that go out and get info for us while we sit our fat asses in front of our screen, shouldn't we ?

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scihole t1_jebz3h5 wrote

Brave man so u and me can be informed

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rcmp_informant t1_jecrboa wrote

We have one close by and it just makes people go in there more. There’s a hot spring too. The bear signs stop no one.

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Galkura t1_jebgcqc wrote

Since you mentioned a sign like that, I want to assume you live in an area with lots of grizzlies.

I know you can’t just go around killing them, nor would I ever condone it.

But what happens if you’re out hiking and a grizzly attacks you? Like, are you going to get fined out the ass or arrested if you blast a grizzly bear coming at you?

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Todd-The-Wraith t1_jebwd08 wrote

Your best chance of survival is either bear spray or playing dead. Shooting a grizzly bear in self defense doesn’t have great odds for the shooter. Things are hard to kill and much harder to kill before they can kill you.

Might get the shot off and it might die eventually, but unless it’s perfect that bear will be taking you with it.

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Redqueenhypo t1_jebvnm7 wrote

I mostly know it from national parks and it is by and large totally illegal to discharge a firearm in those. Unless the shot is at point blank range (no one sane would hunt a bear that way) and you have a spent can of bear spray on you and the bear, FWS will never, not ever believe that you didn’t just go on a lil hunting expedition.

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Vuldyn t1_jeax0ki wrote

But then who's going to tell us the bear's side?

/s

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Arretu t1_jeaks70 wrote

The dude has been living in Moscow for 6 years.

Those 2017 WSJ bastards!

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Culverin t1_jeasseh wrote

So you're saying he should already have known the consequences better than all of us, and still did it anyways?

Does that make him brave or stupid?

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Arretu t1_jeatex6 wrote

>Does that make him brave or stupid?

I think that's something that is almost inevitably in the eye of the beholder at the time, and at the whims of history later.

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HeyImGilly t1_jeatxdz wrote

That’s a great way to put it.

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Arretu t1_jeavhcj wrote

To elaborate, I personally see his actions as inherently brave. He must have had an understanding of the risks involved, and chose to do it anyway based on his beliefs.

If I were in his shoes, and not being as socially-minded as he clearly is, it would be a stupid decision to make. I honestly value mine and my wife's well being above the entire rest of humanity. Making the choice he did would be counter-productive to what I want, and therefore stupid. I am sure he weighed up his responsibilities and moral imperatives and came to the best decision he could, and I frankly don't have the balls to call someone like that stupid.

All that aside, bravery is not a trait that is in any way related to ethics or morality. A terrorist can be brave. The ability to overcome situational fear and act (which is generally what ends up being called bravery) is a useful trait, and can be used for good. That doesn't mean it is always used for good. Bravery can be selfish - if you overcome fear to do something for your benefit at the cost of others, that's still bravery.

In my eyes, this guy did not only make a brave choice. He made a positive moral choice, too. That earns a lot of respect, in my eyes, geopolitical consequences be damned.

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ZombieLibrarian t1_jeaucz7 wrote

These two things aren’t mutually exclusive.

The type of person who becomes a good journalist places a high value on covering truth, even if it puts them in harm’s way.

A bunch of people are just here to criticize this person for taking a danger that I am quite sure they were already well aware of so that the world could learn more about what’s going on over there, but sure the rest of y’all just sit here and continue to confidently state the obvious while thinking you’re saying something insightful or clever. 🙄

And I’m not directing this at you, /u/Culverin

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Culverin t1_jeaz0cd wrote

There are a lot of people jumping down the throat of WSJ without understanding that they didn't put him up to this.

This was his call.

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daveescaped t1_jeb6pbq wrote

This was once what reporters did.

And it has a ton of value. And it protects our world.

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aneeta96 t1_jebc8n9 wrote

News reporters need to be where the news is. Sometimes that is the nearby park, sometimes it is a war zone.

Doesn't sound like they just sent him in a soon as the war started but that he had already been there for years. He would have cultivated sources already and been invaluable once war broke out.

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kent_eh t1_jebfdhm wrote

They didn't send him there to cover this war - he was already there.

He's lived there for 6 years.

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HerbaciousTea t1_jed5whe wrote

This person was a russia correspondent for the WSJ for years, and lives in Russia to do that work.

This was not some spy sent to infiltrate Russian military facilities.

This was a journalist writing news the exact same way they have been for the better part of a decade.

The idea that the arrest of a journalist for doing journalism is the fault of the journalist and not the authoritarian dictatorship is absurd.

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Leg_Named_Smith t1_jeat1j9 wrote

I don’t know how WSJ made that choice. Having worked on HR at a journalism company the worker comp and other insurance costs alone for having someone reporting in Russia would be off the charts. Let alone the humane side of the matter.

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SnakeBiter409 t1_jed3axf wrote

Unless he was an actual spy, (doubtful) then he knew what the risks were.

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StillPissed t1_jeamts0 wrote

What are the chances he was an American “asset”? Obviously I watch way too much TV, but is this plausible?

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chockedup t1_je9ju0r wrote

>Gershkovich has lived in Moscow for about six years, covering events in Russia and Ukraine for the Wall Street Journal.

What nationality is he? Russian?

Edit. Per CNN, he's a U.S. citizen.

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ParanoidFactoid t1_je9u95w wrote

There is a State Department travel advisory warning against travel to Russia. Because of the risk of unlawful detentions like this.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/russia-travel-advisory.html

What was WSJ thinking here?

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AreYou4realRightNow t1_jeali3d wrote

According to other comments he has lived there for 6 years.

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PumpkinManGuy t1_jebviy9 wrote

So he somehow thought he wouldn't get snatched up?

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xtossitallawayx t1_jecaqk9 wrote

More like, he accepted the risk of getting snatched up because he felt that reporting from inside Russia was valuable and worth the risk.

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Incandescent_Anon t1_jecfxaj wrote

Professionals at the highest level of their craft often accept a higher level of risk than a normal person would consider prudent.

It doesn't matter if its Jim Cantore standing in a hurricane, dodging the tree limbs, or a journalist standing behind enemy lines cataloging the illegal actions as the freedom to do so erodes beneath him.

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vindictivemonarch t1_jea5fkd wrote

wsj: "money money money money money money money money money money money money money..."

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[deleted] t1_jeb8pey wrote

[deleted]

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DramaticAd4666 t1_jedkf14 wrote

Canada is passing a similar law now, but regarding everything online and all events, called bill c-11 …

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MrJenzie t1_jeaewfw wrote

But if that is the case

That IS NOT insulting the "russian army" They are not part of the russian military They are a mercenary group paid and bought for

Espionage or not as a prosecution...

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pivovy t1_jebe9ae wrote

I remember reading recently that they have amended that "discrediting armed forces" law to include mercenary organization as well.

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Makav3lli t1_jealxev wrote

Did you even read the article he was arrested for trying to get information about a secret military factory allegedly

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LurkethInTheMurketh t1_jeauk0n wrote

More likely, because he met his contact in the vague vicinity of that facility, they will allege he did so for the sake of data collection. Nice false parallel narrative to all the Russians detained for surveilling sensitive locations across Europe recently.

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MelbaToast604 t1_jeagaeb wrote

I dunno I feel like it's a really bad idea to go to Russia, and write a report while still there that opposes Russia.

Get your info, go back home, then write your report.

Unless I'm missing something?

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okverymuch t1_jean7kg wrote

He’s a US citizen and has lived in Russia for 6 years. My guess is he felt relatively comfortable there by the time the war started. Bad risk to try though. I would have left before publishing anything with my name on it regarding the war.

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aaaaaaaarrrrrgh t1_jecos9u wrote

Putin visits a school and asks a child: "What's your hobby?"

"I collect newspapers", says the child. "And yours?"

"Almost the same, my dear. I collect newspaper writers."

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m0llusk t1_jedb43w wrote

This kind of thing is exactly why the Biden administration warned all Americans to immediately leave Russia back on February 13th.

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Dizzle71 t1_jeb8m9o wrote

Why would any US citizens, especially a journalist, still be in Russia? Now we're gonna have to give up another mass murderer to get him back.

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bombayblue t1_jebqxqi wrote

Great job with that Brittney Griner trade Biden. Certainly didn’t encourage Russia at all.

This is why we don’t negotiate with states acting in bad faith or terrorists.

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hello_hellno t1_jedln5g wrote

You're getting down voted but you're not wrong. There were/are Americans that have been jailed for way longer and more ridiculous charges that still can't get out- the US just indicated if Russian bots make enough noise about any jailed American, they can get a lot back in return. No, she didn't deserve that sentence, but she DID do something illegal according to the laws of that country and there is no excuse for bringing any amount of drugs into a foreign country. The cost/benefit of sending back an arms dealer for a drug offender is mind-blowing and now Russia will be arresting any US passport holder for leverage knowing they can get some sweet trades. It was a terrible precedent.

No US citizen should be going anywhere near Russia atm, at this point its kind of on you if you take that chance.

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Plsdontcalmdown t1_jebru69 wrote

Trump says, fuck journalists...

Macron says, he's too poor, so I don't care.

Biden needs a few days to consider.

You know what Archer would say... We have to get him back.

​

​

Not like Bezos is gonna do it.. LOL

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Suspicious_Painter31 t1_jeabtyb wrote

How a journalist is too dumb to not say, "NO!" Its a death wish to go into Russia right now for any reason. They are not good faith actors so it doesn't matter how legal you are being, if you can be used as a pawn in their game you will be used.

Screw WSJ for thinking this was a good idea. Shows how dumb they actually are.

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BadReview8675309 t1_je9juze wrote

What high value international Russian terrorist is the US going to exchange now for the dimwit that got arrested for insulting the Wanker Group in Putin land... I think only one merchant of death was in American custody and that card has been played already for the return of the WNBA all star drug smuggler.

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