Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to this timely and welcome debate. All of us will speak from a personal and collective point of view of the importance of reporting by the media from conflict zones around the world in a brave manner that stands to all of humanity. It is important to ensure there is clarity, the exposition of crimes and a living, unchallengeable record of this. In the emerging age of social media and the use of disinformation and misinformation as a form of hybrid warfare, the role of independent, verifiable journalism during times of conflict has never been more important.

I will speak on the murder of Pierre Zakrzewski in March by a Russian bomb in Ukraine. Being a joint Irish-French national, he was known to many in his Chamber, or at least many in this Chamber have been able to tell his story. He grew up in Leopardstown in my constituency. The family was gratefully appreciative of the assistance given by the Department of Foreign Affairs in the repatriation of his remains, of the compassion shown and of the presence of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, at his funeral in Foxrock.

I spoke to a number of his friends and acquaintances from the area, who asked me to relay a couple of points about the scenes he saw over a lengthy career as a photojournalist around the world in many conflict zones, not just recently in Ukraine. They mention that on what may have been his last day alive, Pierre found a two-month-old baby, alone, injured, on the ground, among rubble and ruins. His first reaction was not to take a picture or to report it. It was the first reaction any human being would have: to bring that baby to safety and find it a safe family and support. While he managed to bring the baby to receive medical attention, sadly that baby was killed. Pierre himself was killed the very next day.

It shows the reality of what journalists face in conflict zones and the effects that remain with them long after they leave. I am told that, when visiting various war and conflict zones over his career, Pierre told friends and family he rarely felt scared. He was confident in the internal protections of journalists and felt relatively safe with his team and their journalistic credentials. However, he told those close to him that the war in Ukraine was completely different and everyone was a target. The rules of respect for journalists and safe zones were disregarded by the Russians and Pierre ultimately fell victim to this, as did the many medics and humanitarians who have been killed in this vicious war. It is clear from everything I have heard about Pierre that he died doing what he loved. This was his passion and vocation.

Today and every day when we watch the news or open Twitter and see videos and photos from these war zones, we need to remind ourselves of the sacrifices made to bring this footage to us. I commend the recent change in editorial policy of RTÉ such that when acknowledging reports from conflict zones, they do not just acknowledge the on-screen reporter or journalist but also the camera and production crew with them. That is extremely important. We cannot sit idly by and allow this to continue, in Ukraine or any other war zone. Pierre's friends told me he often said when speaking of his time reporting on war zones that when you think you have seen the worst excesses of man's inhumanity to man, you realise the strength of the human spirit. We are seeing in Ukraine an horrendous conflict that will have an impact on our society and homes for many years. The sooner the conflict comes to an end and the people of Ukraine can be liberated and protected, the better for everyone across this Continent and planet, not just those directly affected.

It is all well and good having statements but statements have to come with protections and with the legislative will and political desire to ensure the protection of journalists as they report from conflict zones and from extremely difficult situations domestically.

We must ensure they have that freedom of integrity and are covered properly by modern defamation laws that allow them to report the truth and not be muzzled by the financial arm of criminal or political movements that wish to silence their truth. The debt we in this State owe to the bravery of so many domestic investigative journalists in the fields of crime, conflict zones, politics or elsewhere is one that we in this Chamber may not appreciate as great. That gratitude, however, needs to be shown in the form of proper professional protections. Deputy Berry rightly mentioned the extreme conditions training at the Curragh that used to be made available to all journalists and members of the National Union of Journalists. That is absolutely something that should be brought up. Only last week, I spoke to a British friend of mine who works for a British newspaper and is doing exactly that sort of training because he is about to be posted to Ukraine for four weeks. That is the sort of protection we need to give to journalists.

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