A Prominent War Reporter Defies Ukraine News Fatigue

“Somebody has to be there to document what happened so that later we can look back and try to change what happened. We have to have proof, we are messengers…and later sit back and analyze why,” says Stanley Green, a legendary American photojournalist about his decision to cover Ukraine despite the common fatigue experienced by many foreign journalists.

Greene arrived in Eastern Ukraine, feeling lost and unsure if he still had it in him to produce the story. “When it came to photographing the death and the violence, then I knew I could do it, that sounds horrific to say …I really need to confront demons and all and that’s when it works.”

He regrets and feels embarrassed not covering the Ukrainian Military side, but advises Ukrainian journalists to continue in their reporting: “Journalists that are here, this is your country, you need to document what’s happening in your country and you need to find a way that gives it a complete picture because the outside world really doesn’t get it. Believe in what you’re doing.”

Hromadske’s Nataliya Gumenyuk spoke with Stanley Green, American War photographer in Kyiv, in January, 2016.