A Statement from Our Board President on the Annapolis Journalist Shootings presents:

A Statement from Our Board President on the Annapolis Journalist Shootings

As the leader of the governing board of a community radio station, I am beyond saddened by the loss of fellow journalists in the recent shooting in Annapolis. Journalists and the presence of independent news are vital to the community; a job so important and necessary to our democracy that the U.S. Bill of Rights explicitly protects it.

Journalism is not a 40 hour a week job. It’s a 24-hour-a-day job. Reporters, editors, producers work out of a sense of passion for truth in the news. They give all they have every day to inform you of what’s happening in your neighborhood, city, and country. Reporters Without Borders reported that threats faced by journalists worldwide are increasing and that last year was the most dangerous year ever for journalists.

Who will protect community journalism?

It certainly can be you. You can help us stand up to the violence against the very voices telling the stories of your life, reporting on the issues important to you, and lifting up the voices of those most unheard.

At WRIR, we are volunteers. We work with you in the communities of the greater Richmond area. We are not only journalists; we are your friends, your family, and your neighbors. We care deeply about all of the residents we live next to, go to work with, socialize with and whose stories we tell. I feel certain that the same can be said of the staff of the Capital Gazette.

To our five colleagues who lost their lives in the service of news, truth, and democracy, we honor your work and stand in solidarity with journalists everywhere.

Carol Olson,
President of the Virginia Center for the Public Press,
Co-chair, News and Public Affairs Committee

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VolunteerCoordinator    June 30th, 2018

Posted In: News