By Kaitlyn Wilson
Like many news organizations throughout the state, the PressBox and Jmore newsrooms were shocked and saddened to hear about the senseless attack on our journalism colleagues at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md., June 28.
This tragedy hits close to home; the local news community is a close-knit one.
By now I am sure you know the facts: A 38-year-old man from Laurel, Md., with a vendetta against the paper, stormed the newsroom and killed five people — Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters.
What you may not know is what local news means to these people and their colleagues.
Journalists who work for small-town publications work hard, long hours with little pay for no other reason other than the fact that they love the news and the communities they share it with. This is why, just hours after this attack, reporters at the Capital Gazette worked tirelessly to put out a paper, reporting on the death of their colleagues. The news never stops.
Community newspapers serve an important role across this country reporting on the stories that aren’t big enough for national outlets but matter to the people living in neighborhoods across the country. The staff at the Capital Gazette worked tirelessly to represent the interests of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County communities with professional reporting that would make any newsroom proud.
At PressBox, Jmore and newsrooms across the state, we all stand together with our friends and colleagues at the Capital Gazette during this difficult time.
Go to PressBox to read the complete story.
Kaitlyn Wilson is the managing editor for PressBox. She lives with her husband, a fellow journalism major, in Anne Arundel County.
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