Ukraine example of the importance of journalism

Often maligned. Unfairly distrusted. Increasingly misunderstood. Few would disagree that modern media has become a flashpoint in our society. Every now and then, we see a poignant example of why journalism matters. The work of Associated Press reporters Mstyslav Chernov and Evgeniy Maloletka on their project "20 days in Mariupol" is as stark of an example as I can remember. The two embedded themselves in the Ukraine port city of Mariupol as it has been besieged by Russian troops for multiple weeks. In a country being ripped to shreds in harrowing fashion, no place has had it as bad as Mariupol, which I've seen described as "Hell on Earth." The two dug in Mariupol just before the war broke loose and documented through videos, photos and words what happened as Russians relentlessly bombed the city, cutting off electricity, water, supplies and information, including cellphone, radio and television towers. As thousands of people were able to make it out of the city that quickly became encircled and cut off from the rest of the world, thousands of others did not make it out. Voluntarily, Chernov and Maloletka were among them, the last two journalists left. "With no information coming out of a city, no pictures of demolished buildings and dying children, the Russian forces could do whatever they wanted. If not for us, there would be nothing," Chernov wrote. "That's why we took such risks to be able to send the world what we saw, and that's what made Russia angry enough to hunt us down. I have never, ever felt that breaking the silence was so important." "The deaths came fast. On Feb. 27, we watched as a doctor tried to save a little girl hit by shrapnel. She died. A second child died, then a third. Ambulances stopped picking up the wounded because people couldn't call them without a signal, and they couldn't navigate the bombed-out streets." I would encourage you to read the account at https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-edf7240a9d990e7e3e32f82ca351dede . It includes the harrowing escape of the journalists in a humanitarian convoy as Russians were bearing down on the hospital the journalists were hiding out in. It also discusses how those in Mariupol listen to Russian radio broadcasts, the only information coming into the city. "You could catch broadcast twisted Russian lies — the Ukrainians were holding Mariupol hostage, shooting at buildings, developing chemical weapons. The propaganda was so strong that some people we talked to believed it despite the evidence of their own eyes," Chernov said. Now, as the siege continues, there are no journalists left to document the horrors of Mariupol. "When a Russian airstrike hit a theater where hundreds of people had taken shelter late last week, I could pinpoint exactly where we should go to learn about survivors. ... I know people who are trapped underneath it. ... But we can no longer get there." If this doesn't accentuate the power of journalism, I don't know what does. The war in Ukraine is now not new. For many, it's not as the top of the mind as it was in those first few days. In our never-ending world of distraction, it becomes easier to forget what is happening. One of the biggest tenets of journalism is not forgetting. Reporters stay on the story, never losing sight of the truth. This is nowhere more important than in places like Mariupol, Ukraine, where now it will be much easier to whitewash what is truly going on. There may be no stronger form of warfare than propaganda. Many in today's world would rather there be no journalists, and in this country, disdain toward the media is at an all-time high. Maybe it's easier to feel that way in America, where we tend to get angry about things that are "First World problems." I am thankful there are reporters in Ukraine, laying their lives on the line to document what is happening. It makes me agonize over what Ukrainians are going through, and sobers me to realize my "problems" are far more trivial than some. It makes me weep for my fellow man, which is something we all should do. That is an important step for us as society is putting safeguards in place that minimize the frequency of events like this taking place. It is so much harder to forget when we know what is happening. This is why journalism matters. Speer is the publisher of The Courier, Findlay; The Advertiser-Tribune, Tiffin; and Review Times, Fostoria. He can be reached at jeremyspeer@thecourier.com or jspeer@advertiser-tribune.com