Support Journalists Brent Renaud & Juan Arredondo
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On March 13, journalists Brent Renaud and Juan Arredondo were shot as they were crossing a checkpoint in the city of Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv, while on assignment to film Ukrainian refugees fleeing from the war.
Brent, an award-winning documentary filmmaker known for his empathetic and intimate portrayals of people living in desperate circumstances, was fatally shot. Juan, a visual journalist, filmmaker and adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, was seriously injured.
The two were working on a film about the plight of people forced to flee their homes because of the climate crisis, war and gender violence in Africa, Europe and South America.
This fund is a joint account set up by Juan’s former classmates at Columbia’s journalism school and fellows in Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation Class of 2019, who studied alongside Brent and Juan.
Half of the money raised in this campaign will go to Brent’s family, which is creating a memorial foundation in his honor, to use as they see fit. The other half will go to Juan, who has been through several surgeries already in Ukraine and Poland, and faces a long recovery without an income.
To borrow words from Columbia Journalism School dean Steve Coll, “It is axiomatic in journalism that when trouble engulfs the world, reporters run toward it, despite the risks they must manage.”
Brent is remembered as a brilliant filmmaker and DuPont and Peabody award-winning journalist. He traveled to some of the most dangerous parts of the world to show the difficult reality of people dealing with poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, war and natural disasters.
Juan’s work, which focuses on human rights and injustice around the world, has appeared in publications from The New York Times to National Geographic. His photography has won numerous honors, including the World Press Photo Award. As a Nieman fellow he studied the power of photography for reconciliation in societies torn by conflict.
In a social media post after Brent’s death, Juan said, “To have been trusted with his projects has been one of my greatest honors. I can only hope I can live up to his expectations.” Once medically cleared, Juan will be transported back to the U.S. to continue his recovery.
The fundraiser's contacts are Yuntong Man (Columbia Journalism ’20) and Steve Myers (Harvard Nieman fellow ’19). We hope to honor the memory of Brent Renaud and aid the healing of Juan and Brent’s family.
Yuntong Man will be in charge of withdrawing the fund. Brent's half will be transferred to Craig Renaud, Brent's brother, via Paypal. Juan's half will be transferred to him directly via bank transfer.
With gratitude,
Columbia Journalism School Documentary Program, Class of 2020
Annick Laurent, Brett Forrest, Brian Ryu, David Peter Hansen, Gopika Ajayan, Keya Rice, Mariam Khan, Sarah Collins, Yuntong Man, and Zoe Chiriseri
Nieman Foundation Class of 2019
Esther Htusan, Benny Becker, Shaul Amsterdamski, Tanya Ballard Brown, Mea Dols de Jong, Yoshiaki Nohara, Samantha Appleton, Gabriella Schwarz, Francesca Panetta, Sevgil Musaieva, Laura N. Pérez Sánchez, Steve Myers, Uli Köppen, Soji Akinlabi, Kaeti Hinck, Afsin Yurdakul, Jonathan Jackson, Mattia Ferraresi, Nathan Payne, Myroslava Gongadze, Christina Andreasen, Anica Butler, Mary Ellen Klas, Peter Nickeas, and Matthew Teague.
Brent, an award-winning documentary filmmaker known for his empathetic and intimate portrayals of people living in desperate circumstances, was fatally shot. Juan, a visual journalist, filmmaker and adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, was seriously injured.
The two were working on a film about the plight of people forced to flee their homes because of the climate crisis, war and gender violence in Africa, Europe and South America.
This fund is a joint account set up by Juan’s former classmates at Columbia’s journalism school and fellows in Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation Class of 2019, who studied alongside Brent and Juan.
Half of the money raised in this campaign will go to Brent’s family, which is creating a memorial foundation in his honor, to use as they see fit. The other half will go to Juan, who has been through several surgeries already in Ukraine and Poland, and faces a long recovery without an income.
To borrow words from Columbia Journalism School dean Steve Coll, “It is axiomatic in journalism that when trouble engulfs the world, reporters run toward it, despite the risks they must manage.”
Brent is remembered as a brilliant filmmaker and DuPont and Peabody award-winning journalist. He traveled to some of the most dangerous parts of the world to show the difficult reality of people dealing with poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, war and natural disasters.
Juan’s work, which focuses on human rights and injustice around the world, has appeared in publications from The New York Times to National Geographic. His photography has won numerous honors, including the World Press Photo Award. As a Nieman fellow he studied the power of photography for reconciliation in societies torn by conflict.
In a social media post after Brent’s death, Juan said, “To have been trusted with his projects has been one of my greatest honors. I can only hope I can live up to his expectations.” Once medically cleared, Juan will be transported back to the U.S. to continue his recovery.
The fundraiser's contacts are Yuntong Man (Columbia Journalism ’20) and Steve Myers (Harvard Nieman fellow ’19). We hope to honor the memory of Brent Renaud and aid the healing of Juan and Brent’s family.
Yuntong Man will be in charge of withdrawing the fund. Brent's half will be transferred to Craig Renaud, Brent's brother, via Paypal. Juan's half will be transferred to him directly via bank transfer.
With gratitude,
Columbia Journalism School Documentary Program, Class of 2020
Annick Laurent, Brett Forrest, Brian Ryu, David Peter Hansen, Gopika Ajayan, Keya Rice, Mariam Khan, Sarah Collins, Yuntong Man, and Zoe Chiriseri
Nieman Foundation Class of 2019
Esther Htusan, Benny Becker, Shaul Amsterdamski, Tanya Ballard Brown, Mea Dols de Jong, Yoshiaki Nohara, Samantha Appleton, Gabriella Schwarz, Francesca Panetta, Sevgil Musaieva, Laura N. Pérez Sánchez, Steve Myers, Uli Köppen, Soji Akinlabi, Kaeti Hinck, Afsin Yurdakul, Jonathan Jackson, Mattia Ferraresi, Nathan Payne, Myroslava Gongadze, Christina Andreasen, Anica Butler, Mary Ellen Klas, Peter Nickeas, and Matthew Teague.
Fundraising team (2)
Yuntong Man
Organizer
New York, NY
Steve Myers
Team member