Pål Steigan

This is the human face of this war: elderly, impoverished pensioners receiving flags instead of the children they spent their entire lives raising. Yesterday, I spoke with mainstream media journalists in Berlin, and the experience left me deeply shaken. I already knew they would rely on stereotypes and look for ways to blame me — their questions seemed designed to do exactly that from the outset. They were biased, framed to distort and misrepresent the reality. One journalist told me that forced mobilization was justified in wartime, showing a complete lack of understanding of what forced mobilization has become in Ukraine. Another questioned me about a quote from my book while admitting she had never read it and did not understand its meaning. What hurts me most is not what they will write about me. It is that people who call themselves journalists seem completely unaware of the human tragedies this war has brought into the lives of Ukrainians. They have learned to shuffle words around, but seem to have lost all empathy for human suffering. The most frightening thing is when journalism becomes detached from real people, turns a blind eye to their pain and suffering, and, in doing so, helps justify the continuation of the war.