A cameraman who was injured along with Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall during an attack on their vehicle in Ukraine has died.
The network announced the death of Pierre Zakrzewski in a statement on Tuesday morning, before reports surfaced, Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kurshinova also died in the same attack.
“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share this morning the news of our beloved cinematographer Pierre Zakszewski. Pierre was killed in Gorenka, near Kiev, Ukraine. Pierre was with Benjamin Hall at a news gathering when their car was hit by an incoming fire,” Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott said in a statement.
“Pierre was a war zone photographer who covered almost every international story for FOX News from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria during his long tenure with us. His passion and talent as a journalist were unparalleled. Living in London, Pierre has been working in Ukraine since February. His talents were swift and there was not a role he wasn’t in to help in this field – from photographer to engineer to editor to producer – and he did it all under tremendous pressure with tremendous skill.
“He was deeply committed to getting the word out about the store, and his courage, professionalism and work ethic were known to journalists across the media. He was wildly popular – everyone in the media industry who covered foreign history knew and respected Pierre.
“We offer our deepest condolences to Pierre Michel’s wife and family – please pray for them all. And please continue to pray for Benjamin Hall, who remains in a hospital in Ukraine. We will continue to keep in touch with any further updates as needed.”
Ms Scott announced the hospitalization of Mr Hall — a British-American journalist working as a State Department correspondent for the network who previously wrote for The Independent — in a memo to colleagues on Monday afternoon, which did not disclose what happened and the extent his injuries. or that Mr. Zakshevsky was also wounded in the same attack.
Fox News shared this image of Pierre Zakszewski, reporting on the spot, in a statement about his death in Ukraine.
(Fox News)
“Earlier today, our correspondent Benjamin Hall was shot while gathering news outside Kyiv in Ukraine,” the memo said on Monday. “Now we have a minimum level of detail. Ben is hospitalized and our teams on the ground are working to gather more information as the situation quickly evolves.
“The safety of our entire team of journalists in Ukraine and the surrounding regions is our top priority and is of paramount importance. This is a serious reminder for all journalists who risk their lives every day to bring news from the war zone. We will update everyone as we know more. Please keep Ben and his family in your prayers.”
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Hall had lost part of his leg.
Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall is reporting from Ukraine.
(Fox News)
The attack on Mr. Hall and Mr. Zakrzewski came just a day after American journalist Brett Renault was shot dead by Russian troops in Irpin while on assignment for TIME magazine.
Mr Renault was driving in a car to report on Ukrainian refugees trying to evacuate when the car was ambushed by Vladimir Putin’s troops, according to Ukrainian officials. A second American journalist was also wounded and taken to the hospital.
American journalist Brett Renault was shot dead by Russian troops in Irpin while on assignment for TIME magazine.
(Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Joe Biden was thinking of Mr. Hall when asked about the situation and the president’s previous promise to “respond strongly” if any Americans were harmed in Ukraine.
“Well, let me first say, your colleague Benjamin Hall, I know that there are no final reports yet, otherwise we will wait for your news service to confirm them, but our thoughts, the thoughts of the president, the thoughts of our administration are with him, his family and you are all on Fox News too,” she said at a press briefing on Monday.
She added that Mr. Biden is “leading the world” in creating “consequences” and “consequences” in the form of devastating economic sanctions.
After the announcement of his death, tributes to Mr. Zakshevsky poured out.
Fox News host Bill Hemmer shared the news live, calling Zakrzewski an “absolute legend” whose loss is “devastating.”
“He was a professional, a journalist and a friend,” Hemmer said. “We here at Fox News want to express our deepest condolences to Pierre’s wife, Michelle, and his entire family. Pierre Zakszewski was only 55 years old and we already miss him.”
Another host John Roberts tweeted: “I have worked with Pierre many times around the world. He was an absolute treasure. We send our most sincere prayers to Pierre’s wife and family.”
“I don’t know what to say. Pierre was as good as they come. Selfless. Brave. Passionate. I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Fox News correspondent Trey Inst tweeted.
While the Fox News community mourns the loss of Mr. Zakshevsky and prays for Mr. Hall’s recovery, some of the network’s own anchors have come under fire for misleading propaganda stories about the Russian-Ukrainian conflict that increasingly flatter the Kremlin’s version of events.
The most controversial host is Tucker Carlson, whose show is securely ranked among the most popular cable news pundits. Often questioning before the conflict why anyone in the US should support Ukraine (an established American ally) against Russia (an authoritarian adversary), he recently helped plant a conspiracy theory about US-funded and run biolabs in Ukraine that are allegedly developing biological weapons.
On Monday, Fox and Friends co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy further confused her network’s controversial messages about the conflict by putting forward the argument that the conflict is actually the West’s fault.
The host claimed that the United States “provoked” Russia by allowing the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO.
“They made it very clear that there was a red line,” she said. “The red line was neutrality for Ukraine, that they cannot join NATO.” (Ukraine is still not a member of NATO.) “And in the end, if they get this peace deal… it’s probably going to happen anyway.”
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