First Amendment Watch gives our profound thanks to all those who, like the journalists in Annapolis, have sacrificed so much to advance the open discussion of ideas central to the functioning of a free society.
June 29, 2018: Gene Policinski: Five dead, more hurt at Annapolis newspaper – a sad, sad story
The front page of The Capital 5/29/18
From Gene Policinski, president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute.
Sad. So terribly sad.
Five people – several after a life’s work reporting on the daily lives of others – are today the subjects of news reports no one wants to write, or read.
On Thursday, police say, a man described as having a long-standing grudge against the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Md., killed five staffers and injured several more in that small community newsroom.
He shot through the glass doors of the paper into a place filled with journalists doing what most in that profession in America do: Bringing their community the news of itself.
For those who find ongoing sport in caustic attacks on “the media” that in reality they know almost nothing about, be silent for a moment, please, and read these words last night from the editor of the Capital Gazette: “… just know @capgaznews reporters & editors give all they have every day. There are no 40-hour weeks, no big paydays – just a passion for telling stories from our community.”
June 29, 2018: Profiles Of Journalists Killed On Duty In The US And Canada Since 1976
The Associated Press reports that 17 journalists have been killed over the past four decades in reporting related incidents.
Associated Press>June 29, 2018: Violence Against Journalists Subsided In The 20th Century, But Is It Ramping Up Now?
Jack Shafer writes that attacks against journalists were common in the early days of the republic as newspapers were used as weapons of political parties. Such activities like tar and feathering, beatings, mobs and kidnappings have largely subsided in the past century as journalism became more professional, but perhaps the Annapolis shooting is a signal of a new wave of violence.
Politico>June 28, 2018: Annapolis Shooting Is A Reminder About The Workplace Dangers In Journalism
The Washington Post reports that animosity towards journalists is growing around the world, as authoritarian and democratic leaders discredit and undermine the press. Reporters increasingly receive threats and experience harassment while on assignment.
The Washington Post>Committee To Protect Journalist: Database Of Attacks On The Press
CPJ>
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