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Polish war reporter saves 30 refugees, refuses title of hero

Monika Andruszewska
Aleteia - published on 03/29/22
The TV correspondent risked her life saving 30 Ukrainians by taking them from Irpin while it was being shelled.

Monika Andruszewska of Polish International Television has been reporting on the situation in Ukraine since the uprising known as Euromaidan (2013-14), especially in territories subject to Russian aggression. She has shown great maturity, courage, and attention to other people’s needs more than once.

A few days ago, she took action in a situation where she says she didn’t have to think at all about the right thing to do and hadn’t shown any special heroism. However, the world has a different opinion.

Nedim Useinow, a political scientist at the University of Warsaw, wrote on Facebook:

Dawid Wildstein was also touched by Monika Andruszewska's attitude.

The journalist herself explained the whole situation:

As she adds, those who were not mentioned in the media were quite heroic.

Controversy

The controversy remains as to what role journalists should play in the event of an armed conflict. Should they be involved or should they remain strictly as observers? The case of this reporter speaks to the need for personal discernment and a prudential decision between serving as uninvolved journalists and saving lives. As she says, she made that decision. She is aware that there are those who criticize her for it. However, from now on she knows that 30 people consider her the best journalist they could come across in their lives. Thirty, and many more.

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