News Media Suffers Another Grievance

Michael Hedges June 29, 2018 - Follow on Twitter

Civility is the cornerstone of democracy, not grievance. We build monuments to civil society, not despots. Truth and light, we believe, overcome hate and fear. Today, we have no words. Again.

Five staff members of the Capital Gazette, a daily newspaper serving Annapolis, Maryland, in the United States are dead, at least two injured. The alleged murderer is a local white male with a long grievance against the newspaper. We must use the word “alleged” because it is civil; there has been no trial or conviction. He used a shotgun. He was arrested. In 2012 he was convicted for stalking, which was reported by the Capital Gazette, and later sued the newspaper for defamation. Two courts rejected the claim. His social media posts earlier in the day “indicated violence,” said Anne Arundel County acting police chief William Krampf, quoted by the Guardian (June 29).

US President Donald Trump offered “thoughts and prayers” on Twitter. He ignored questions about the shooting from White House reporters and just kept walking. President Trump has often and frequently referred to news media outlets and specific reporters as “enemies of the people,” exciting his base supporters at rallies. That phrase was used to disparage the press by historic despots Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedung, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Richard Nixon put the news media on his famous enemies list. More recently the Myanmar junta, Hugo Chavez, Viktor Orban and Recep Tayyip Erdogan have referred to news organizations and journalists as “enemies.”

The “thoughts and prayers” sentiment has been widely derided as conferring little interest in facing the consequences of gun violence. For surviving Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students those offering such were cynical. “Do something instead of sending thoughts and prayers,” said one. Words matter, as every journalist knows. "I'm going to need more than a couple days of news coverage and some thoughts and prayers,” said Capital Gazette staff Selene San Felice to CNN (June 28). "Our whole lives have been shattered, and so, thank you for your prayers, but I couldn't give a f*** about them if there's nothing else.”

Others in the news media sphere have been similarly outraged. “This is what happens when @realDonaldTrump calls journalists the enemy of the people,” wrote Reuters Breakingviews editor Rob Cox on Twitter. “Blood is on your hands, Mr. President. Save your thoughts and prayers for your empty soul.” Mr. Cox was subsequently reprimanded by Reuters editor-in-chief Steve Adler. The tweet has been deleted.

Since 1992, noted the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), seven US media workers had been murdered prior to Thursday’s tragedy. Two Virginia television station employees were shot dead while on air in 2015. The US is the second most deadly country for journalists this year following, notably, Afghanistan. Police departments in Los Angeles and New York City increased security at media outlets in those cities, noted the LA Times and New York Times (June 28). According to the CPJ 29 journalists have been killed this year worldwide.

Paris-based journalist advocate Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) has a higher figure: 47 media workers killed in the last six months, not counting the five in the US. “Is what happened in the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland, the equivalent of the Charlie Hebdo killing or of the last bombing against journalists in Kabul?” queried RSF Secretary general Christophe Deloire in a statement (June 28). “In any case, this is a new tragedy for journalism, which is the victim of increasing violence globally–even in democracies.”

"Yes, we’re putting out a damn paper tomorrow,” said the Capital Gazette Twitter feed early Friday morning. Five obituaries were written: assistant news editor Rob Hiaasen, editorial page editor Gerald Fischman, special publications editor Wendi Winters, sales assistant Rebecca Smith and staff writer John McNamara. When it was finally published the editorial page, which would have been written by Gerald Fischman, was blank except for this: Today, we are speechless

Online editions of neither the Capital Gazette nor co-owned Baltimore Sun are accessible in European countries due to GDPR compliance issues.

See also... in ftm Knowledge

Press/Media Freedom - Challenges and Concerns

Press and media freedom worldwide is facing challenges from many corners. As authoritarian leaders impose strict control over traditional and new media with impunity, media watchers have concerns for democracy. This ftm Knowledge file accounts the troubles of this difficult decade. 88 pages. PDF (December 2011)

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