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We won’t stop doing our job

It’s the type of situation that could happen anywhere, to any newspaper office. But when it did happen, it was still shocking and tragic. A gunman entered the Capital Gazette newspaper office in Annapolis, Md.

It’s the type of situation that could happen anywhere, to any newspaper office. But when it did happen, it was still shocking and tragic.

A gunman entered the Capital Gazette newspaper office in Annapolis, Md., last week and opened fire, killing five members of the staff and injuring several more.

The motive appears to be a long-standing grudge against the paper, stemming from when the paper published his name following a conviction several years later. He had sued the paper for defamation of character, but the case was thrown out.

After all, he had pleaded guilty, and the information was in a public document accessible online.

He was disappointed that the paper printed the truth, and his hatred finally boiled over last week.

Four members of the editorial staff, including some who had been there for decades, were killed. Also dead was a 34-year-old sales representative, who had recently joined the paper, but the gunman viewed her as being guilty by association with the reporters.

The reaction was predictably swift. People voiced their support for the paper on social media. Other media outlets reminded the public of their obligation to share the truth. Incredibly enough, the Capital Gazette published a paper the following day with a story on the incident and tributes to the victims.

Some used the incident as a chance to rip into U.S. President Donald trump for his unrelenting criticism of the media, but it appears this incident had nothing to do with Trump. It was an angry criminal looking for revenge. (Although it was very telling when Trump silently snubbed reporters looking for comments on the shooting).

While the job of a newspaper reporter shouldn’t be viewed as a dangerous profession, there are risks. Reporters aren’t going to make every person happy with every story. And sometimes, people get angry with a story. It can result in angry tirades or even threats.

But no reporter would expect to have someone enter their office and open fire.

This is not a job in which someone might have doubts about whether they’ll make it home safe to a loved one that night. We aren’t firefighters or police officers.

A story like the Capital Gazette shooting also reminds the public of the important role newspapers continue to play. In the larger markets, they offer a level of depth in reporting that the broadcast mediums can’t deliver. In the smaller markets, they continue to offer that depth, but they also provide a voice for the people that wouldn’t be there otherwise, they deliver a measure of accountability that wouldn’t exist, and they remain the most valuable source of information in a community.

While it’s important to have a balance between upbeat stories and “hard” news, newspapers aren’t cheerleaders. So there are times in which someone won’t be happy.

But they’re there for you, regardless of whether it’s every day, every week or even every month.

Newspapers can’t alter their policies because a criminal in Maryland was furious about having his name printed. Nor can they allow this incident to make them skittish.

We stand with those who work at the Capital Citizen. And like so many other papers, we aren’t going to let this shooting change a thing.