I was shocked when a 7 year old child told me, "Putin must die, and I want him tortured," – Berdynskykh
When preparing reports about children who had suffered from war, it is important not to traumatize them.
On September 27, NV journalist Kristina Berdynskykh spoke about this during an online lecture by the Commission on Journalistic Ethics.
"The children are already in a difficult situation. Their arms and legs are wounded by shrapnel. They have survived surgeries. Therefore, my approach to this difficult topic, ethical topic, I would say, is that I did not talk to children without the consent of their parents and doctors. My the approach is as follows: I asked the parents or doctors, not the child, for information about how the child had been injured. And I asked the children about very simple things: who they want to be in the future, asked them about their childhood," the journalist stressed.
She recalls her conversation with seven-year-old Varvara. The girl had numerous shrapnel wounds, she underwent multiple surgeries. Kristina Berdynskykh met her in the library of an Okhmatdyt hospital.
"I asked what book she was reading. And she said, 'The Chronicles of Narnia.' We were talking about magicians. And it was kind of surreal, considering the situation this child was in. The only war-related thing I asked her was, 'What do you think about the war?' And then I had my first shock since February 24, when a seven-year-old child told me, 'Putin must die, and I want Putin to be tortured.' It was absolutely shocked by what children are living with," said Kristina Berdynskykh.
Earlier, Kristina Berdynskykh said that people may have different approaches to a journalist's work in liberated settlements, because media workers already know upon entering a village that they will see ruined houses, injured people, and probably graves in backyards. According to her, there is no rule of thumb on how to tell the stories of these people so that they are as impactful as possible and draw attention to the crimes of the Russians.
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