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Finding light in the darkness
IOM (International Organization for Migration), who help people who are displaced sort of figure out logistics. There were little stalls where people were handing out warm coats and different types of shoes for children. And so, there seemed to be a lot of support. Also, there were huge coach [buses] there helping take people to various cities in Poland. It was all women and children or the elderly, because men aren’t allowed to leave [Ukraine]. They’re bringing them whatever luggage they can carry, walking down a small narrow tarmac pathway from Ukraine to Poland. And I’m walking in the opposite direction down the exact same pathway. SMN: What were you seeing in the faces of those people that you’re making eye contact with as you’re walking by? JF: You see a lot of exhaustion. By the time they’ve made it to the border, they’ve already been through hell. They’ve been through weeks of uncertainty. The stress of
“By the time they’ve made it to the border, they’ve already been through hell.” — Jane Ferguson
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR n the realm of foreign journalism, few correspondents are as fearless and compassionate as Jane Ferguson. An acclaimed award-winning journalist — best known for her nightly international reports on the PBS NewsHour — Ferguson has, for many years now, found herself on the ground and on the front lines of numerous wars, conflicts and upheavals the world over. And as the war in Ukraine now enters its second month, Ferguson has been in the
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Eastern European country since Russian forces began to invade several weeks ago. She’s surrounded by death and destruction, but also the awe-inspiring illumination of mankind in the face of darkness. Speaking over the phone last week to The Smoky Mountain News from her hotel room in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv, Ferguson talked at-length about her experiences and emotions as a reporter, and also as a human being — standing at the heart of an ongoing, brutal battle for political peace and societal preservation, which remains in limbo. Smoky Mountain News: What was it like when you first entered Ukraine? Jane Ferguson: It’s funny, you know? I’m used to covering the Middle East, Southeast
Asia and Africa. And so, it’s incredibly weird for me — I’m actually European, I’m an Irish and British citizen — flying into Europe, it feels so strange. You fly to Krakow, [Poland], and you take a car down just an incredibly developed and very pristine highway to the [Polish/Ukrainian] border. It’s about a threehour drive to the border from Krakow. The border is the most innocuous, little tiny over foot. There’s two border posts, but they’re both very small. It’s essentially fencing and a few small buildings in a field. But, at this time, it’s filled with small marquees, tents and traffic, and a lot of aid agencies were there. And that was quite heartwarming to see. Food trucks handing out [meals]. I could see Israeli charities, the Red Cross, and the
Smoky Mountain News
A conversation with Jane Ferguson
March 30-April 5, 2022
A renowned foreign correspondent, Jane Ferguson has been on the ground reporting nightly on the war in Ukraine for the PBS NewsHour. Pictured here with Ukrainian soldiers, Ferguson (second from the left, top row) has been in the country on assignment since the beginning of the conflict several weeks ago. Jane Ferguson photo
trying to make the decision of, “Do we flee? Do we not?” Some of them have come from places where they haven’t had too much choice, where it’s been violent. A mother alone with her kids, we see a lot of that in the train stations because the fathers had to stay. You’ll see mothers carrying the luggage, trying to carry their belongings, trying to carry a toddler or a baby, or trying to not lose sight of a small child running around — a lot of exhaustion and stress. I think also in those faces, it’s very likely a lot of heartache. We’ve all seen the images from the train stations of couples, of married people saying goodbye to husbands and fathers, saying goodbye to their families. That’s really adds a whole other emotional toll to this that’s quite different from many of the conflicts I’ve covered. I’ve covered a lot of conflicts where men stay and fight, but not so universally as this. I’ve been to refugee camps the world over, and there are men there, as well. But, to see just women alone with their kids was incredibly sad. It’s also fascinating to me, as an animal lover, to see how much [the Ukrainians] adore animals. I’ve never been to a country with as many pet dogs as this country. And the Ukrainians have brought their pets with them. So, when you see those Ukrainians, you see dogs and cats in little boxes, cats wrapped in a kid’s sack. People brought their pets because they had heard along the Polish border that they had waived some of the strict import regulations for bringing your pet with you. And, to me, that made it all the more
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