Being a journalist in a war zone is always dangerous, but most dangerous the photographers, be they still photographers or videographers.  They need to be close to the action in order to capture the photos and videos.

Brent Renoud was an award-winning journalist and worked for a number of American national news outlets, including the New York Times, HBO, NBC News and Vice News.  Renoud was working on a project for Time magazine documenting the plight of refugees when he was shot and killed in the fighting between Russian troops and Ukrainian forces.

His assistant was injured and told journalists they were in a vehicle when it came under fire.  Renaud was shooting video with refugees, telling the story of the hardships they encountered in this horrible and devastating war.

We also have learned that Benjamin Hall, a British-born veteran war correspondent, was injured while reporting outside of Kyiv for Fox News.  

Renaud was not the first journalist killed in the Ukraine fighting.  According to Poynter.com.   The Committee to Protect Journalists previously wrote that Russian military forces bombed a TV tower in Kyiv on March 1, five were killed, including camera operator Yevhenii Sakun.

When war breaks out, it is so important to have independent reporters out in the field just looking for facts and truth, both generally hard to come by in a war zone.

There are a number of journalists working in Ukraine now.  I hope they all take the proper precautions but still find a way to do their jobs.  It is so difficult to do both well.

My thanks to the many brave reporters working in Ukraine.  Without them, we would not know what is going on.  This war is particularly brutal for civilians.  Documenting all that is so important for America, and the world.