Shocking murders in Va. hit home
What next?
As Fairfield Glade residents this week dealt with the tragic news of 19-year-old Zachary Cottrell’s drowning death, a senseless incident was taking place in Moneta, Virginia.
Two television journalists in Virginia were shot to death during a live broadcast Wednesday morning, once again bringing into focus America’s fraught relationship with guns and gun violence -— but even moreso making us well-aware that any of us can become a victim at any time.
I have been a journalist for most of my working life and so this one hits home a little harder and differently.
As more details of the fatal shooting of reporters Alison Parker, age 24,and Adam Ward, 27, came out, I was sickened by the fact that the killer was a former workmate of the two at TV station WDBJ in Roanoke, VA.
Parker and her camerman Ward were doing a “fluff” piece early in the morning and were doing it live. The horror on Parker’s face as she heard the first gunshot, and, no doubt, recognized the shooter, is one that will be forever etched in my mind.
How senseless! How cruel! Yes, Evil….
Journalists — like many other professions — are family. Not related by blood but by ink and by story lines, and by a similar sense of duty toward their communities.
So it was easy for me to understand the outpouring of support from journalists all over the country on social media in the days following the shooting.
As a sports writer and editor for over two decades in Ohio, I was never faced with any danger — though a worked-up parent or coach “got in my face” a time or two.
But now, these days, you just never know. That’s the scary thing. And it goes not just for journalists but even more for school teachers, police officers, public servants, etc.
You can put all the caution and safety provisions in place that you can think of — but how do you preventt a random, senseless, violent act like this?
The sad truth is, you can’t.
While it turned out to be a disgruntled ex-employee of station WDBJ who pulled the trigger, not an unknown figure who was stalking journalists, the Virginia incident nonetheless underscored the vulnerability of journalists working in public view.
Two years ago, for instance, a Rhode Island woman sicced pit bulls on a TV reporter. But, for the most part, homicide of a working reporter in this country is rare.
The Poynter Institute, a journalism education organization, said Wednesday that six domestic journalists had been murdered on the job or because of their work since 1992, not counting the two who perished Wednesday.
We hear of journalists losing their lives through coverage of foreign affairs, and that’s heart-breaking in itself, but last week’s events are even more shocking.
Indeed, my heart goes out to the families, friends and colleagues of the stricken journalists.
Rest in peace Adam and Alison and Zachary.