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War reporter after the death of a colleague: “You can’t prepare for that”
Despite all precautionary measures, had to experience how a colleague was killed in Ukraine: war reporter Max Hermes
© World News Channel
In a war zone like Ukraine, reporters take a lot of security precautions. But what if, despite everything, a colleague dies? “Welt TV” reporter Max Hermes saw a cameraman killed during a shoot – in a truck he was supposed to be in.
Ever since the war in Ukraine started three and a half months ago, it’s been on almost every news program. But this constant flow of information is only possible because reporters report from on site and sometimes risk their lives in the war zone. Journalist Max Hermes used to be with RTL and now reports for the television station “Welt TV”. In the 294th episode of the Daily Podcast “important today” he reports on a traumatic experience at the end of May. Max Hermes was in close proximity when a cameraman was fatally hit by a shrapnel during a shoot in the Donbass: “My cameraman could have been sitting here too.”
War in Ukraine: Cameraman died by shrapnel
“We had basically wrapped up our filming. […] At that moment, a smoking truck came, splinters could be seen in the windscreen,” Max Hermes reports in an interview with Mirjam Bittner. A bloodied policeman leaves the truck, in the background there is a motionless person. It quickly turns out that it is one Press colleagues. The French cameraman Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff was sitting in the front passenger seat and had just filmed when the car came under fire. Leclerc-Imhoff was hit by a shrapnel and died. The colleagues were sitting in the back of the truck and had to watch everything When the truck stops, everyone escapes to a nearby police station, where they only slowly grasp what has happened, Hermes says hesitantly: “The French colleague and I hugged each other and wept.”The police later escorted the teams in an armored vehicle from the area.
“French colleague and I hugged each other and cried”
Max Hermes hasn’t had much time to process everything. Almost immediately afterwards, he stood in front of the camera and reported live on what he had just experienced. Back in Germany, he would like to seek psychological counseling and is also supported by the publisher. Hermes has now realized one thing: “I’m a reporter in a war zone. There’s always a residual risk, you can’t guarantee 100% security.” Protective measures such as a helmet, a bulletproof vest and local security teams should minimize this residual risk as much as possible. Max Hermes is now back in Germany, but would like to return to the Ukraine and continue reporting on the war.
So far, eight media workers have been killed in Ukraine and at least 14 others injured, reports the organization Reporters Without Borders. The Ukrainian government is already talking about 32 dead colleagues.
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