Friday marks the unfortunate first anniversary of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s detention in a Russian jail.
Gershkovich, who was on a reporting assignment at the time of his apprehension, is being accused of espionage, making him the first American detained on such an allegation since the Cold War.
On Tuesday, Gershkovich made his 12th court appearance where, according to The Wall Street Journal, his pre-trial detention was extended to at least June 30.
In a statement, the WSJ added that Gershkovich “should never have been detained. Journalism is not a crime, and we continue to demand his immediate release.”
In recognition of this somber anniversary, the WSJ held a public reading of his report by his peers and colleagues for 24 hours. The read-a-thon began on Wednesday at noon ET from the WSJ’s NY headquarters and was led by WSJ’s editor-in-chief Emma Tucker and Dow Jones CEO and WSJ Publisher Almar Latour.
The WSJ reached out to colleagues across the industry, and the company said it was overwhelmed by the responses and support it received from journalists, including TV newsers from ABC News, CBS News, CNBC, CNN, Fox News, NBC News and PBS.
Those who participated in the read-a-thon in person or submitted pre-recorded readings include:
ABC News
- David Muir
Martha Raddatz (pre-recorded)
CBS News
- Norah O’Donnell
CNBC
- Emily Wilkins (pre-recorded)
CNN
- Abby Phillip
Kaitlan Collins
Jake Tapper (pre-recorded)
Laura Coates (pre-recorded)
Fox News
- Bill Hemmer
Dana Perino
Bret Baier (pre-recorded)
Jennifer Griffin (pre-recorded)
NBC News
- Lester Holt
Andrea Mitchell
Rebecca Blumenstein, NBC News, president, editorial
Meghan Rafferty, NBC Nightly News executive producer
David Rohde, NBC News National security editor
PBS NewsHour
- Geoff Bennett (pre-recorded)
Amna Nawaz (pre-recorded)
Thank you to colleagues from @ABC, @CBSNews, @CNN, @FoxNews, @NBCNews, @NewYorker, @PBS and the many others who showed their support for Evan Gershkovich by reading his work over the course of 24 hours. We'll keep telling Evan's story. Until he can tell his own. #IStandWithEvan pic.twitter.com/TDWhvzzhdB
— WSJ Communications (@WSJPR) March 29, 2024