A British journalist working for Fox News was seriously injured near kyiv after being hit in the legs by shrapnel while covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Benjamin Hall, 39, a married father of three from London who has worked for the American television network since 2015, was today being treated in intensive care in hospital.
Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott told staff in a memo that bosses had a ‘minimal level of detail’ and that teams on the ground were working to find out more about what happened to Mr Hall, whose wife Alicia and three daughters live in London.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told another Fox News reporter at a press conference in Washington DC yesterday that “our thoughts, the thoughts of the president, the thoughts of our administration are with him, his family and all of you at Fox News.”
Mr. Hall is a Washington-based correspondent and an experienced foreign journalist who has previously worked in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Gaza.
Irina Venediktova, Ukraine’s attorney general, said in a Facebook post that a British journalist had been hit in both legs with shrapnel and was in intensive care.
Benjamin Hall, 39, reported for Fox News from Ukraine on the Russian invasion
Mr Hall has three daughters with wife Alicia Meller, an Australian fashion businesswoman
Benjamin Hall is a married father of three from London who has worked for Fox since 2015
She did not identify the reporter but posted a photo of a US Congressional press pass belonging to a Fox News reporter. Ms Venediktova added that the journalist was in intensive care and was not near a military installation at the time of the explosion.
Mr Hall covers the US State Department for Fox News and attended £38,000-a-year Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire before attending Duke University in North Carolina, at Richmond University in London and at the University of the Arts, London.
He has dual British and American citizenship and wrote a book in 2015 on the history of the Islamic State called “Inside ISIS: The Brutal Rise of a Terrorist Army”.
The journalist has also worked for the BBC, ITN and Channel 4 and written for The Times, The Sunday Times, The New York Times and Agence France Presse.
Mr Hall has three young daughters with wife Alicia Meller, an Australian fashion businesswoman whom he married in 2015. Other Fox News staff remain in Ukraine to report on the war that has started on February 24.
Ms Scott told Fox News staff in an email yesterday: ‘Our correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured while doing news gathering outside Kyiv in Ukraine.
“We have a minimal level of detail at this time, but Ben is hospitalized and our teams on the ground are working to gather additional information as the situation rapidly evolves.
“The safety of our entire team of journalists in Ukraine and the surrounding regions is our top priority and of the utmost importance.
“This is a stark reminder for all journalists who put their lives on the line every day to report from a war zone. We’ll update everyone as we learn more. Please keep Ben and his family in your prayers.
The State Department Correspondents Association said in a statement that it was “horrified to learn that our fellow correspondent Benjamin Hall was injured while covering the war in Ukraine.”
“We know Ben for his warmth, his good humor and his great professionalism,” he said. “We wish Ben a speedy recovery and call for all efforts to protect journalists who provide an invaluable service through their coverage in Ukraine.”
MoD press secretary John Kirby also confirmed at a briefing yesterday that Mr Hall had been injured in Ukraine and was being treated in hospital.
Mr Hall covers the US State Department for Fox News and is normally based in Washington DC
Benjamin Hall in intensive care and was not near a military installation at the time of the explosion
Irina Venediktova, Ukraine’s attorney general, did not identify the reporter but posted a photo of a US Congressional press pass belonging to a Fox News reporter
It comes after former New York Times reporter Brent Renaud was shot dead by Russian troops on Sunday. Mr. Renaud became the first foreign journalist to be killed during the war after being shot in the neck in Irpin, near kyiv.
Former New York Times journalist Brent Renaud was shot dead by Russian troops on Sunday
The award-winning filmmaker had covered the plight of refugees fleeing the suburbs, which have come under heavy bombardment in recent days.
The American photographer Juan Arredondo was also shot in the lower back during the attack on the car transporting him with Mr. Renaud. A Ukrainian who was in the same car as the Americans was also injured, according to a doctor on site.
Mr. Renaud was an experienced filmmaker who typically worked with his brother Craig in conflict zones around the world, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and cartel violence in Mexico.
According to their website, they were based in New York and Little Rock, Arkansas. It is not known if Craig had also been to Ukraine.
Mr. Renaud won a Peabody Award in 2015 for a Vice News documentary about a Chicago school and has worked for a number of other US outlets, including HBO and NBC.
Other Fox News staffers remain in Ukraine to report on the war that began Feb. 24
Rescuers work next to a bomb-damaged residential building in kyiv, Ukraine, this morning
He was in Ukraine to work on a “global refugee film project”, according to former colleagues.
The New York Times said it was “deeply saddened” to learn that the “talented filmmaker” had been killed – while adding that he had not been on assignment for the newspaper.
Early reports suggested he worked for the publication because he wore a press badge with his name on it. A spokesperson said the document was released “many years ago”.
Mr Renaud’s death came just over a week after Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay was shot and wounded after being shot while returning to Kyiv.
A few days earlier, Ukrainian journalist Yevhenii Skaum, a cameraman, was killed when a television transmission tower in Kviv was hit by shelling.
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