Deadly newspaper shootings hit home for local journalist

Last November I retired after nearly 28 years at The Republic, a daily newspaper just like the Capital Gazette, where five journalists were gunned down on June 28.

The jobs held by the five dead included assistant editor, columnist, writer and special publications editor. During my Republic career I held every one of those jobs at some point.

I look at the photos of the victims and I see the faces of my co-workers, many of whom became like family. To say this latest mass shooting hits close to home is an understatement.

For 27 of my 28 years, I worked in a one-story all-glass (single-pane) building. My colleagues and I were 30 feet from the street and completely visible (and vulnerable) to the passing traffic. I would be less than honest if I said I never thought about the fact that some unbalanced soul who took offense with something I wrote could easily shoot me at my desk without me ever seeing it coming. The same was true for my co-workers.

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Today, certain people have made it fashionable to attack the “lamestream” media in all its forms. I wish everyone would remember that dedicated, hard-working journalists like those at the Capital Gazette are one of the main reasons this country is a beacon of freedom, though the light from that beacon is dimmer today than it was June 27.

No matter what you think of the media, the founding fathers knew that a free press was essential if their grand experiment was to have any chance of success.

Today, when blatant lying and the concept of “alternative facts” are acceptable to many, the vast majority of journalists, especially at newspapers, are dedicated to preserving an old-fashioned concept: truth. The staff at The Republic has been doing this every day since 1872.

And, like the staff at the Capital Gazette, who put out a paper June 29 despite watching five of their friends and colleagues murdered in cold blood just a few hours before, American journalists — including those at The Republic — will continue to pursue the truth, wherever it leads and whatever the risk.

There are certainly higher-paying careers than journalist, but few, if any, more important.

Doug Showalter of Columbus served as regional reporter and editor, features editor, city editor, special projects editor and special publications editor from 1990 until his November 2017 retirement.