Tensions Erupt Inside Wall Street Journal Over Competing Projects About Imprisoned Journalist Evan Gershkovich (EXCLUSIVE)

by

16 months ago, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich boarded a plane in Turkey, heading to imprisonment in Russia. On Aug. 1, 2024, he finally stepped off that same plane to freedom. Coincidentally, on the same day in 2024, colleagues Joe Parkinson and Drew Hinshaw from The Journal published a comprehensive account of Gershkovich’s harrowing ordeal, which ended with his release through a prisoner swap. The Journal’s video crew also captured exclusive footage during this time, to be used in a documentary spearheaded by Parkinson and Hinshaw. This book-worthy reporting would later expand into a book about Gershkovich’s conviction on charges of being a U.S. spy – charges he and the paper firmly denied.

It appears that there’s an issue as Gershkovich is not assisting with either the documentary or the book, according to our sources. Instead, Gershkovich is working on his own film and book, which has caused disagreements within the newsroom due to the conflicting projects.

In many instances, similar Hollywood projects arise following significant news events, such as the 2018 Thai cave rescue which led to multiple adaptations like Ron Howard’s “Thirteen Lives” and the Netflix series “Thai Cave Rescue.” Interestingly, competing exposés on Harvey Weinstein were published in both the New York Times and the New Yorker, resulting in separate books, a film, and an HBO docuseries. What makes this situation unusual is that rival projects stem from the same news source. To make things even more complicated, CAA manages all parties involved, including Gershkovich, Parkinson, Hinshaw, the newspaper itself, and even Gershkovich’s mother, who is working on her own book.

According to an informed source, Evan has chosen not to take part in this, leaving everyone in a rather awkward situation. This source also notes that The Journal invested quite a bit of resources to gather footage for the documentary, but none of the parties involved have responded to requests for comments.

In February, Amazon, MGM Studios, United Artists, and Scott Stuber secured the movie rights for Gershkovich’s upcoming memoir being published by Crown Publishing. Edward Berger (“Conclave”) has been assigned to direct the film. Gershkovich and his mother, Ella Millman, are set to serve as executive producers. However, it’s notable that The Journal is also involved in the production, which could be awkward considering that Gershkovich had expressed strain in his relationship with the newspaper following his release, during meetings in Washington D.C. (Millman, who is mentioned in the Parkinson and Hinshaw report and plays a significant role in their story, has proposed a book that was part of the rights deal with Amazon.)

The tale of Parkinson and Hinshaw highlights their extensive reporting: “Even before Gershkovich was freed this Thursday, the Journal had been providing updates on his situation since his capture. This narrative is constructed from over a year’s worth of conversations with numerous U.S., Russian, European, and Middle Eastern security officials, diplomats, spies, and families of prisoners.

Despite ongoing disagreement within the Journal, some members support the pair while others align with Gershkovich, who currently resides in Berlin. This tense relationship is evident as Gershkovich has only contributed one article to the Journal since his release, titled “Tracking Putin’s Most Feared Secret Agency — From Inside a Russian Prison and Beyond,” which he co-authored with Parkinson and Hinshaw. Interestingly, this piece was jointly credited to both parties.

Parkinson and Hinshaw, co-authors of the 2021 book “Bring Back Our Girls” on the Boko Haram school kidnapping incident, had exclusive insight into the State Department during their research on Gershkovich’s imprisonment and release. Meanwhile, while in custody, Gershkovich maintained a journal that will serve as a basis for his memoir, scheduled to be published in 2026.

Read More

2025-04-07 18:48