Bill Hemmer describes Pierre Zakrzewskis beautiful, profound funeral ceremony
Americas Newsroom co-host Bill Hemmer honors friend and colleague Pierre Zakrzewski after attending his wake and funeral in Dublin, Ireland.
Fox News Channel dedicated its London bureau to beloved cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, who was killed last year while covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Zakrzewski, affectionately referred to as "Zak" by colleagues, was killed when his vehicle was struck by incoming fire in a village outside Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova was also killed in the attack, and Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall was severely injured.
"Pierre was renowned throughout the media industry for his passionate storytelling and remarkable skill, and he was an all-around exceptional colleague. While we are still devastated by his loss, we are extremely proud to honor his legacy by dedicating and naming our London bureau after him," FOX News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said.
Fox News’ United Kingdom office is now known as the Pierre Zakrzewski London Bureau and a plaque bearing his name was installed at the front door.
Pierre Zakrzewski in Paris, France, Dec. 2018. (Fox News/Greg Palkot)
BENJAMIN HALL 'TRULY AN INSPIRATION' FOLLOWING DEADLY UKRAINE ATTACK, FOX NEWS MEDIA CEO SAYS
A dedication ceremony was held last week at the London bureau with FOX News Media President Jay Wallace, Zakrzewski’s widow Michelle Ross-Stanton, London bureau chief Dragan Petrovic, senior vice president of field & production operations Scott Wilder, vice president of news coverage Greg Headen, news bureau vice president of human resources Nicolle Campa, coordinating international producer Tim Santhouse, as well as senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot, London correspondent Alex Hogan and others joining Scott and Hall.
Hall has been through roughly 30 surgeries, lost a leg on one side and a foot on the other, and no longer has function of a hand and one eye after surviving the attack. He credits Zakrzewski with saving his life.
Fox News’ United Kingdom office is now known as the Pierre Zakrzewski London Bureau and a plaque bearing his name was installed at the front door.
Pierre Zakrzewski was beloved by Fox News colleagues. (Fox News)
Pierre Zakrzewski covering the Hong Kong riots in Oct. 2019. (Fox News/Greg Palkot)
Zakrzewski was known to shoot video, fix equipment, produce stories, edit on the fly and just about whatever else was needed to get the job done. He was a valued member of Fox News for many years and covered war zones and conflicts across the globe, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Hong Kong.
A vehicle carrying Pierre Zakrzewski, Benjamin Hall and Oleksandra "Sasha" Kuvshynova was struck incoming fire when they were covering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine covering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Hall was the only survivor. (Fox News)
Zakrzewski was also on the ground for breaking news events from nations across the globe including Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Italy, France, Venezuela and South Korea.
In 2021, Zakrzewski played a key role in getting Afghan freelance associates and their families out of the country after the U.S. withdrawal. In December of that year, Zakrzewski was awarded the "Unsung Hero" award during the FOX News Media Spotlight Awards. Hall was later revealed to be one of the employees who nominated Zakrzewski.
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Fox News' Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
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