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Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall barely survived a Russian attack in Ukraine shortly after the 2022 invasion. He lost his right leg below the knee, most of his left foot and an eye. It was a terrible price to pay to report on war.
His companions weren’t as lucky. The strike killed veteran videographer Pierre Zakrzewski and 24-year-old Ukrainian producer Sasha Kuvshynova, along with two soldiers escorting them.
AFP via Getty Images, Paula Bronstein for NPR and family photos/Collage by Mark Harris for NPR
Four years later Kuvshynova’s parents and two security advisers to the network are blaming Hall and Fox for putting the crew in harm’s way.
“If you took Benji out of the equation, this never would have happened,” says Aaron King, one of the former security consultants.
He and the others tell me Hall, encouraged by network executives, pushed to go to the hot zone just outside Kyiv, despite repeated warnings.
Kuvshynova’s parents are suing Fox in New York City. Zakrzewski’s widow is suing the network in London.
Both lawsuits accuse Fox of failing to keep their loved ones safe.
Kuvshynova’s parents say Fox hid its own role in her death and then convinced her father to sign a compensation package that included a waiver of liability for her death.
Fox and Hall wouldn’t comment for this story, but they are fighting the allegations in court. In legal papers and statements, Fox has said the deaths were tragic but impossible to predict.
I reviewed hundreds of pages of court documents, conducted 15 on-the-record interviews and watched hours of Fox’s coverage for this story. One of the most revealing witnesses is Hall himself.
He wrote in his memoir about taking increasing risks as his career and ambitions grew. Despite the dangers, he wrote, he could not pass up the chance to go to Kyiv.
Audiences count on journalists to reveal what’s really happening. For TV news in a war zone, that can mean going where the danger is and filming it for the world to see.
I’ve been thinking a lot about a conversation I had decades ago, when I was a reporter at the Baltimore Sun.
The paper’s foreign editor, Jeff Price, was ladling out colorful anecdotes from his days abroad. At one point, Price paused and said, “You know, Dave, dead men tell no tales.”
Price wasn’t saying don’t cover war. He was saying to make choices with care when you do. They can change lives in an instant.
This story reveals the fears and ambitions of those who sought to tell the story of the invasion of Ukraine. It also unpacks how the ensuing tragedy fractured the lives of those left behind.
No matter the outcome in court, the human toll on Kuvshynova’s parents, Zakrzewski’s widow, and Hall and his family was extraordinary. And it cannot be undone.
Check out more great reads from the NPR network you may have missed:
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➡️ AI companies are turning to outside evaluators to test their models for safety risks. But experts say AI safety audits still lack consistent standards and can create conflicts of interest.
➡️ Kalshi’s expansion into betting on events and sports is raising concerns among addiction experts. Because prediction markets are regulated differently from traditional gambling, users may be able to bypass some state safeguards.
➡️ In September, NPR's Newsmakers podcast and video series sat down with two individuals who have made headlines: comedian Robby Hoffman and political commentator Tucker Carlson. Catch up with these conversations and more here.
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'In' at the Finish
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It's time for the Sunday Puzzle! For this week’s on-air challenge, NPR Puzzlemaster Will Shortz will give you clues for two words, with the second formed by adding “-IN” to the first. For example, if you are provided “Bit of smoke” and “Arctic bird,” the answer would be “PUFF” and “PUFFIN.” Test your skills here. Check the page later to hear the answers, or catch them live on Weekend Edition at 8:41 a.m. ET.
This week's online challenge also comes from Robbie Ellis, of Chicago. Name two well-known colleges or universities from the same state. The last letter of one is the first letter of the other. Change that letter in both names to the same new letter to get two other well-known schools. What four schools are these? Submit your answer here, and you could win a chance to play next Sunday's on-air puzzle.
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