Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 19, 2023 / 12:18 pm
Beginning at 8 a.m today, July 19, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., journalists began a 24-hour read-a-thon to draw attention to the wrongful detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerschkovich, who has now been held in Russia on espionage charges for 112 days.
A statement from Eileen O’Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, said participants are reading from Gerschkovich’s large body of work — most of it from the Wall Street Journal but also from Agence France-Presse and the Moscow Times.
Participating in the read-a-thon are Gerschkovich’s colleagues from the Wall Street Journal as well as Press Club members from other media outlets, family members, and close friends. Each will take a 15-minute slot.
“We are doing this to call attention to Evan’s case and to give people a symbolic way to show support for Evan as he passes 100 days in jail and awaits trial,” said the National Press Club statement.