September 29, 2023

Today marks the six month milestone of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerskovich’s wrongful detention by the Russian government. For Evan, this means 184 days without his freedom, without seeing his friends and family, without the ability to do any of the things you or I take for granted as we go through our day.

This difficult milestone also marks six months of a brazen assault on press freedom. The fact is that Evan is innocent of the accusation levied against him. He was simply doing his job as a journalist, reporting for The Wall Street Journal, an organization that I have been proud to have been associated with for over 20 years. 

The Journal has been the byword for responsible and accurate reporting since its founding in 1889. Its very existence as an ongoing concern is predicated on its reputation as an unbiased and accurate reflection of the world it lives in. The quality and care of Evan’s reporting (which we encourage you to read here) speaks for itself. 

It’s not difficult to imagine a world in which journalists cannot freely exercise their trade. Tyrants and bullies would win. Worse still, we would live in a world in which we are ill-informed at best and deliberately mis-informed at worst. 

DCN members compete vigorously with each other to ensure they are bringing the most exciting scoops, the most entertaining content, the most relevant news to our audiences. But, as a group, we always coalesce on the safety and security of our reporters, who are often in the field in dangerous situations. 

Dow Jones, The Wall Street Journal and Evan’s family are all grateful for the support DCN members have shown to date. Evan’s case must remain front and center as much as possible. Every day that goes by brings the normalization of this atrocious detention that much closer. We cannot let this happen to either the free press or to Evan. 

Wearing the “Free Evan” button in public sparks conversations. Using the #IStandWithEvan hashtag on your social media posts keeps Evan’s cause top of mind. Reading and sharing Evan’s articles (which we’ve made free to the world) reminds all of us what a remarkable journalist is sitting in a Russian jail cell, fearlessly representing our collective mission around the world. 

You can read more about Evan and the latest on his case here. Please help us keep Evan’s message front and center and join us in demanding Evan’s immediate and safe release.