Yesterday five people, four journalists and a sales assistant, died at the Annapolis (Md.) Capital Gazette at the hands of a gunman. Normally we’d wait for a motive and allow the justice system to do its work.
I will admit, however, that these aren’t normal times.
President Trump, before he even took office, has consistently decried the media as reporting “fake news,” and two days ago right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos made what he called a “private joke” that reporters should be killed. One recent meme on Facebook said that Trump has “blood on his hands.”
As critical as I am of Trump, I won’t go there just yet.
What we do know is that the gunman had been engaged in stalking, which was mentioned in that paper five years ago; he sued the paper but lost the case and in the time since apparently made threats toward it. Furthermore, we’re learning now, he may have planned the attack in advance, so Yiannopoulos’ “joke,” as tasteless as it appears today, may truly have been coincidental.
That being said, I must concur with reporter Chase Cook, who said defiantly, “I can tell you this: We are putting out a damn paper tomorrow.” As a newspaper employee myself, I think I can speak for my colleagues in agreeing that we have a job to do and intend to do it. And that would include waiting for evidence to come in before making any judgments.
I will admit, however, that these aren’t normal times.
President Trump, before he even took office, has consistently decried the media as reporting “fake news,” and two days ago right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos made what he called a “private joke” that reporters should be killed. One recent meme on Facebook said that Trump has “blood on his hands.”
As critical as I am of Trump, I won’t go there just yet.
What we do know is that the gunman had been engaged in stalking, which was mentioned in that paper five years ago; he sued the paper but lost the case and in the time since apparently made threats toward it. Furthermore, we’re learning now, he may have planned the attack in advance, so Yiannopoulos’ “joke,” as tasteless as it appears today, may truly have been coincidental.
That being said, I must concur with reporter Chase Cook, who said defiantly, “I can tell you this: We are putting out a damn paper tomorrow.” As a newspaper employee myself, I think I can speak for my colleagues in agreeing that we have a job to do and intend to do it. And that would include waiting for evidence to come in before making any judgments.
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