while the friends and family of Evans celebrate his safe return so too is his work family at the Wall Street Journal they've been among the loudest and strongest voices calling for his release from day one insisting that he was wrongfully imprisoned and defending his journalistic Integrity so for them last night was also an emotional moment I'm joined Now by Paul Beckett assistant editor at the Wall Street Journal to share his thoughts and feelings about seeing Evan step off that plane Paul so great to have you with us tonight uh you've been working behind the scenes pretty much full-time uh over the last nine months or so trying to get uh evans's release uh finalized what was that moment like yesterday when you saw him step out onto the tarmac what did you feel personally uh extraordinary Smiles of Joy tears of relief uh exhilaration excitement all at the same time um you know and that was just in the journal Newsroom we were you know who knows what was like for Evan and his family to be there we weren't sure up until the moment we knew his feet were on the tarmac in Ankara and he was out of the custody of Russian officials that he was free so we waited until we knew that moment had come and then we published the story and then we celebrated obviously so much goes into uh negotiated deal like yesterday what went on behind the scenes on your end trying to keep Evan front of mind for uh officials here in the US trying to make sure that those conversations were happening the goal was always to try and create a landscape on which successful negotiations could happen we we very grateful to the Biden Administration and all the other governments involved for doing the negotiating and getting the deal done that's huge obviously but we always felt it was so important to ever not be forgotten and the Wall Street drone Newsroom rose up in support of him but so did so many other news organizations including your own uh and so many wellwishers around the world that that's what created the momentum that created the environment in which we could be successful uh and we're again so grateful to President Biden Jake Sullivan Tony Blinken Roger Carson all the people that spent 140 months trying to figure 16 months trying to figure this out and they did it yesterday it's impossible to have the conversations about evans's capture and his release without looking at the broader impact on journalism as a whole right and it's what we do here um I want to get into this a bit as a journalist yourself what do you believe is the impact of situations like Evans on other reporters even on Evan wanting to go back and cover Russia at all well we've you know part of the reason he was taken and they chose him I think was not just because uh he a high-profile American but because it had a chilling effect on other news outlets and on reporting the news in Russia which I think exactly what the Kremlin wanted they knew perfectly well he's not a spy that became very clear over the course of their farsal trial so you know you look at it you say journalists have to be in these places uh but we have to find ways of protecting them and ensuring that this doesn't happen and I think broadly speaking both for journalists and for others who may be in operating in dangerous environments I think the US government's goal now is going to be worked with the Allies to find a way to stop this detestable practice of Hostage diplomacy there are still Americans not journalists but there are still Americans in Russia and the US government will now work I'm sure to try and get them out but they have to stop find a way to stop this cycle which affects journalists and everyone else when they get na for no reason and then traded as pawns it was so striking to see Evan uh put in his release paper a request to interview President Putin I'm curious um one do you think that goes anywhere and two if that were to be granted what would that look like I cannot imagine Evan wanting to go back on Russian soil perhaps he does well B bows in Putin's court for once uh so let's see what he what if anything comes over it just showed what a reporter uh Evan is it was funny last night when he landed on the tarmac and he obviously greeted uh first vice president then the president then his wonderful family and then he walked over to the cameras and he said two things uh that jumped out at me first was he his concern for the political prisoners who were still in Russia he' met a bunch of them while he himself was in prison and he hoped that we could do something to help them and then the second was that you know as part of the swap there was this assassin sent back to Russia from Germany called Vadim Krasikov and Evan was like I was hoping to interview Krasikov but uh the planes didn't line up in the tarmac in a way that that could happen so you know always a reporter and we look forward to welcoming him back to the newsroom when he's ready a consumate professional even through all that he's been through uh and to you congratulations on this effort Paul Beckett thank you so much thanks for all the support you guys have been great [Music]