The Days Are Long, The Years Are Longer

“The Wall Street Journal Russia correspondent was set to stay in an Airbnb in the edgy Neukölln neighborhood, a base to explore the city’s cobble-lined streets with his tightknit crew of journalist pals exiled there from Moscow. He was going to drink coffee in hipster cafes and chat into the night over glasses of beer. It was the start of his stolen year.” Evan Gershkovich’s Stolen Year in a Russian Jail. “The Wall Street Journal correspondent has been deprived of 12 months of normal existence; a year of missed weddings, reporting trips and travels with friends.” Why? Because Putin wanted another pawn to bargain with. And because he is a journalist. Authoritarians Threaten Journalists Around the Globe.

+ Indeed, one of the core tenets of authoritarianism is to threaten, jail, and otherwise harm journalists. So when a sitting US president calls the press “the enemy of the people,” it’s probably not a good idea to re-hire him.