Death of American journalist in Ukraine a possible ‘war crime’

NEWS AND OPINION:

The death of Brent Renaud has not been forgotten. The journalist, award-winning filmmaker and former New York Times contributor — was killed Sunday while working in Ukraine outside Kyiv.

“We mourn the news of the death of journalist Brent Renaud. His fatal shooting near Irpin, reportedly by Russian forces while trying to cross a checkpoint to cover fleeing Ukrainian civilians, is a tragic reminder of the costs and stakes for journalists covering war and attacks on civilians,” said Jen Judson, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute.

“That so many journalists — local and foreign, freelancer and staffer are putting their health, lives and livelihoods on the line in order to cover the human costs of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a reminder to the world of why a free and independent press is so important and worthy of protection and support. Under international humanitarian law, journalists are noncombatants. We call for an investigation into the killing of Brent Renaud as a possible war crime,” the two said in a joint statement.

Time magazine added in a statement of its own that “it is essential that journalists are able to safely cover this ongoing invasion and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.”

Four journalists have been injured by gunfire since Feb. 24, according to Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based nonprofit group promoting freedom of information.

In the meantime, tributes and accolades for Mr. Renaud from multiple news organizations have appeared in the last 72 hours from major news organizations, including The Associated Press and The New York Times, which called him an “acclaimed filmmaker” and a “crusading filmmaker,” respectively.

BIDEN NOT ON THE GUEST LIST

Republican observers have noted that Beto O’Rourke — now a Democratic hopeful in the Texas governor’s race — has been “pleading” with President Biden to stay clear of the Lone Star State.

“I don’t want Joe Biden or anyone else from outside Texas coming into this state to campaign for me or anyone else,” Mr. O’Rourke said during the recent South by Southwest event in Austin.

The candidate has his reasons, including the fact that Mr. Biden is not earning accolades among Texas voters — 52% of them, in fact, disapprove of Mr. Biden’s job performance.

The Republican Governors Association is taking notice.

“Texans know now more than ever they need a strong governor like Greg Abbott who will fight to protect their economy and safety in spite of the federal government’s failures,” RGA spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez observes in a statement shared with “Inside the Beltway.”

“Just two years ago, Beto O’Rourke welcomed Joe Biden to Texas with open arms and enthusiastically endorsed him for president. It’s only now that his endorsement and judgment clearly didn’t age well that he’s hoping Texans will forget the Beto-Biden agenda is the reason the border, the world, and their monthly budgets are in crisis,” Ms. Rodriguez says.

THE GREAT DIVIDE

Republicans and Democrats have the greatest ideological divide between them in five decades.

“It’s become commonplace among observers of U.S. politics to decry partisan polarization in Congress. Indeed, a Pew Research Center analysis finds that, on average, Democrats and Republicans are farther apart ideologically today than at any time in the past 50 years,” writes Drew DeSilver, a senior writer at the Pew Research Center.

The dynamics behind today’s congressional polarization have been long in the making, he says.

“Both parties have grown more ideologically cohesive. There are now only about two dozen moderate Democrats and Republicans left on Capitol Hill, versus more than 160 in 1971-72,” Mr. DeSilver notes.

“Both parties have moved further away from the ideological center since the early 1970s. Democrats on average have become somewhat more liberal, while Republicans on average have become much more conservative,” he continues.

“The geographic and demographic makeup of both congressional parties has changed dramatically. Nearly half of House Republicans now come from Southern states, while nearly half of House Democrats are Black, Hispanic or Asian/Pacific Islander,” he says.

The study was based on data from DW-NOMINATE, a method of scaling lawmakers’ ideological positions based on their roll-call votes, and archives from the U.S. House.

THE RUSSIA COVERAGE OF YORE

Perceptions evolve over the decades.

“The media may hate Vladimir Putin now, but gushed over ‘mighty’ Soviet Union then,” wrote Scott Whitlock, researcher director for the conservative press watchdog Newsbusters, in a study which examined news coverage of the Soviet Union that appeared on CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS dating all the way back to 1988.

“As the crisis in Ukraine escalates, threatening Europe and the world, journalists and media outlets have rightly and consistently highlighted the cruel aggression of former KGB agent Vladimir Putin. However, the same outlets that now showcase the horror of an attempted restoration of the Soviet Union previously gushed about the glory days of a regime that murdered 20 million people,” Mr. Whitlock said.

“Analysts dug into our archive for the worst examples of cheering the Soviet Union. They include: Mike Wallace in 1990 suggesting that ‘many Soviets’ are ‘almost longing’ for the ‘brutal order of [Joseph] Stalin, plus a CBS host describing the end of communism as simply being ‘freer to hate,’” he noted.

“Media outlets condemning Putin in 2022 are correct. But in the ’80s, ’90s and into the 2000s, they nostalgically longed for the good old days of Communism. Sadly, the world is seeing the brutal reality of what that really means,” Mr. Whitlock wrote.

Find the video examples and the analysis at Newsbusters.org.

POLL DU JOUR

• 49% of U.S. adults believe that Ukraine is a democracy; 48% of Republicans, 46% of independents and 61% of Democrats agree.

• 17% overall say Ukraine is not a democracy; 25% of Republicans, 19% of independents and 9% of Democrats agree.

• 33% are not sure whether the nation is a democracy or not; 27% of Republicans, 36% of independents and 29% of Democrats agree.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted March 5-8.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.