Fox News said it has helped to evacuate four Afghan freelancers and their associates — 24 people in all — as part of a larger move by media organizations to secure an exit from the country for nationals who have helped their on the ground efforts in the region.
In a memo to staffers on Sunday, Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said the company, part of Fox Corp., had “evacuated three Afghan nationals who formerly served as freelance associates, as well as an Afghan colleague from a regional media company, along with their respective families” from Kabul. All the people were moved to Qatar.
“These associates include consultants who served as local producers, translators, drivers and security guards supporting our correspondents throughout Fox’s coverage of the was in Afghanistan for nearly two decades.”
Other media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, which is owned by Fox Corp. sibling News Corp., have worked to get journalists and local residents who supported them, out of the country.
Fox News recently dispatched correspondent Trey Yingst to Afghanistan to cover some of the chaos taking place there as the Taliban reasserts itself over the nation while the U.S. withdraws troops and other operations there. In a tweet posted Sunday afternoon, Geraldo Rivera said Yingst had left the country along with the 24 nationals. “Included in group of friends & colleagues is highly-regarded translator Akbar Shinwari, with whom I proudly worked,” Rivera said.
“We are extremely proud to have assisted in this critical mission, bringing them to safety in Doha, where the Qataris have been aiding in several evacuations, and are grateful to Fox Corp. for all of their assistance,” Scott said.