#Maryland Capital Gazette newspaper

[media-bias-fact-check]

(Media News) David D. Smith Acquires Baltimore Sun, Promising Local Focus Amid Concerns Over Conservative Influence

(Media News) David D. Smith Acquires Baltimore Sun, Promising Local Focus Amid Concerns Over Conservative Influence

  David D. Smith, executive chairman of Sinclair Inc., has acquired Baltimore Sun Media from Alden Global Capital, returning local ownership to Maryland’s largest newspaper for the first time in nearly four decades. The deal includes the Baltimore Sun, Capital Gazette, Carroll County Times, and other local publications. Smith’s purchase, made personally and not under Sinclair’s umbrella, aims to…

[tamaraward-lucas]

The NABJ Producers, Editors, and Freelancers Databases

A diverse journalist and a former Brookings Legis Fellow, Tamara Ward-Lucas returned to public affairs during the height of the pandemic, where she currently works in a robust federal press office. Tamara Ward-Lucas is also a long-time and active member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).

With a membership base of more than 4,000, the nonprofit provides a range of service programs and advocacy support to Black journalists and media professionals across the United States and around the world. Tamara Ward-Lucas credits NABJ for providing with valuable training and employment opportunities through its producers, editors, and freelancer databases. After freelancing for almost a decade, Tamara Ward-Lucas became a full-time journalist covering government, politics and environmental issues in Maryland and on Capitol Hill.

For E&E News on Capitol Hill, she covered environmental and energy policy and politics and their intersection with the Trump Administration, 2020 Presidential Campaign, House impeachment inquiry, State of the Union Address, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Formerly, she covered the Maryland General Assembly, county government, local and state politics, as well as business, environmental and energy issues in Southern Maryland for APG Media. Her articles appeared in numerous newspapers, including The Calvert Recorder, The Maryland Independent, The Enterprise, and The Enquirer-Gazette. Tamara won two editorial awards from the Maryland Delaware DC (MDDC) Press Association during her time with APG.

As a young journalist, she interviewed Rosa Parks in the United States Capital for the UMTV show Coming of Age. There she also covered the housing foreclosure crisis in Maryland and other issues impacting residents in the Maryland Legislature.

Prior to her recent work in journalism, Tamara had been a public affairs specialist in the Federal Government. She also served as a Brookings Legislative Fellow in the House of Representatives, where she handled gun violence prevention, veterans’ issues, cybersecurity, voters' rights, government reform and campaign finance for a senior congressman.

She graduated from the University of Maryland College Park with a bachelor's degree in Speech Communications and, as an Eleanor Merrill Fellow, she earned a master's degree in broadcast journalism with an emphasis in Public Policy and Political Reporting. Her training experiences through NABJ augmented the skills she acquired in college.

In 2022, Tamara Ward-Lucas participated in the annual NABJ Authors Showcase which spotlights Black literature. She interviewed her sister Tanya Ward Jordan who has authored 3 three poetry books (under the pseudonym Tanya DeVonne) and one book on civil rights in the federal workplace. The featured work at the showcase was In Black Skin which takes readers on a poetic journey from slavery in America to the current Black Lives Matter Movement, for which Ward Jordan won an award.

[aunti-christ-ine]

[cluelessrebel1988]

We're putting out a damn paper tomorrow.

The staff of the Capital Gazette, after today’s shooting at their offices which resulted in the death of five members of the paper’s staff.

Because that’s what journalists fucking do.

[precious-ketchup]

Alright, lets see whats happening on the news.

BREAKING NEWS:

Shooting at Capital Gazette in Maryland.

*sigh*...

[maybewecouldtry]

For those of you in the US, you may have seen the news about the shooting in Annapolis, Maryland today. While I may not be from Annapolis specifically, growing up (barely) ten minutes away makes it home. It’s still home.

Annapolis is a beautiful place, complete with a downtown harbor guarded by the Naval Academy. Life on the water is engrained in your brain at a young age. You celebrate the kick off of summer watching the Blue Angels soar in the sky. You spend your summers eating crabs doused in Old Bay. You attend the hilarious, yet pretentious annual croquet match at St. John’s college in your best yacht attire. 

It’s a charming place, fully of history that roots back to the 1600′s. It’s a bustling hub for art galleries, small jewelry shops, and hot yoga studios. It’s hipster and trendy with the likes of Capital Teas and Old Fox Books. And it’s inspirational.

What happened today - and what has been happening in this country for the past few years - is utterly heartbreaking. And yet, completely avoidable. We have to do better. We have to be better. We have to make sure that we teach the next generation that hate, no matter what form it takes, is intolerable on all levels.

Getting news of today’s events from 3,000 miles away was the worst feeling. Knowing that this happened across the street from all of my work friends and close to my best friends was sickening. While I don’t know him as well as some of my friends do, a guy I went to high school with was personally affected by today’s tragedy. His mom was one of the five victims who died and the first words on his Facebook post tonight were: “Mom, I’m not ready to say goodbye.”

5 innocent journalists, whose jobs were to report on events like today, won’t be going home tonight. 5 innocent people - INNOCENT PEOPLE - won’t be returning to their families. 5 people won’t be waking up tomorrow and returning to work, the job they loved enough to die for.

I encourage all of you to visit the Capital Gazette’s website and read about these amazing journalists, contributors, editors, assistants, sons, mothers, daughters, fathers that died today. Read about their lives. Read about their contributions to the community. Read about their stories. Because, like Hannah Gadsby says in her Netflix special - “Stories are our cure.”

I’m not here to get political. I’m here to be real. Real about what’s happening in our culture. Where hate has taken over humanity. Where lives are expendable. Where guns are more accessible to the public than birth control is. Whatever your political views or goals are, I know we can all agree that violence is never the answer.

We need to encourage stricter laws. We need to encourage tolerance. We need to encourage peace. We need to encourage action. And most of all, we need to encourage love. Because without love, the world is a dark place and I don’t know about you, but I’m tired from all this darkness.

[weemsbotts]

Fallen And Not Forgotten: Andrew Leitch’s Short & Fascinating Life in Dumfries

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

On 10/05/1776, George Washington wrote to Samuel Washington describing the Battle of Harlem Heights and writing, “In this Ingagement poor Majr Leitch of Weedon’s Regiment received three Wounds through his Side, of which he died…” Dying so early in the Revolutionary War and away from home certainly meant hardships for his family. Due to his active political career and wealth, we can trace him and his family through different newspapers, court records, and letters/petitions to see how his family fought to honor his legacy and service.

On 03/04/1775, Andrew Leitch purchased “all those 2 lotts or 2 acres of land situate lying & being in the said county of Pr. Wm. & joing the N.E. end of the town of Dumfries beginning for 1 acre & the said land on the main street & on the town line opposite to the corner of Mr. Wm Graysons  lotts extending…the other lott or 1 acre is to join the said town on the level opposite to lotts of Mr. Thomas Chapman.” Moving from Maryland to Virginia the previous year, Leitch did not hesitate to establish his mercantile business and political interests. While in Dumfries, Andrew and his wife Margaretta Augustina Brice Leitch visited and dined with George Washington and established a strong enough connection for the later orphaned Leitch children to appeal directly for Washington’s help.

While Leitch’s social affairs seemed solid, his indentured servants were actively fleeing from him. Leitch tried to control his labor force by placing the following runaway advertisement in the Virginia Gazette in 04/1775 for the stout William Pearce and strong Ralph Emmanuel, “2 convict servant men just imported from London in the Justitiae Capt. Kidd lying at Leedstown”. His luck at keeping his convict labor force fared no better later in 1774 as he placed another runaway ad for Joseph Fischer, a tailor with a “dark visage – down look”, tailer William Booth with a “wooden leg which he endeavors to hide with his trousers” and indentured tailor Patrick Creamer.

In 1774, Leitch joined the Prince William County Committee of Correspondence. Washington recorded lodging with Leitch with evening entertainment at the Graham’s as Washington reviewed the Independent Company in Dumfries. By 02/1776, Leitch was commissioned a captain in the 3rd Virginia Regiment and led the Prince William Battalion, later receiving a promotion to Major in the 1st Virginia Regiment. Major Leitch actively fought in the Battle of Harlem Heights (09/16/1776), at the head of the attacking column, and suffered three musket ball wounds in his abdomen. Although Washington and other officers seemed hopeful for his recovery, he died on 09/28/1776. Sidenote: To read more about the actual battle, check out the Emerging Revolutionary War Era blog here. 

(Source: Shannon, Joseph, Noel Francis Parrish, and W.C. Rogers & Co. Map of the upper part of the Island of Manhattan above Eighty-Sixth Street arranged to illustrate the Battle of Harlem Heights. [New York?: s.n, 1776] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/88694229/)

Further devastation to the family occurred when Margaretta died in 1781. Now orphaned, Sarah Leitch appealed on “behalf of herself and her Infant brother James Frisby Leitch” directly to George Washington in 01/1791:

“That their said father being a Merchant and possessing but a small Capital was in a great degree dependent on his personal exertions for the support of himself and his family, but actuated by Zeal in the cause of this Country entered into the Army of these States, and in the year 1776 Sacrificed his Life in executing the orders of his General—Your Petitioners on this Subject can only relate the information they have received from others, but, for the truth of these facts they are told, they may appeal with confidence to the knowledge of the Commander in Chief.

Your Petitioners further shew that the additional Misfortune of losing their Mother soon afterwards left them altogether dependent upon the bounty of friends, and while they contemplate these Melancholy Events they cannot but hope they shall receive from the Humanity and generosity of this Government the same compassion that they are informed others have experienced in similar circumstances—They humbly intreat therefore that the half pay of the Commission possessed by their said Father, may be extended to your Petitioners commencing from the date of his Death, or for such other provision as you may think most proper.”

Leitch’s inventory from 1777 indicated his “small Capital” included a book collection, mahogany desk and bookcase, and the following enslaved persons: Dinah, Harry, Hagar and her child estimating their “price” from 30 to 120 pounds. Although Secretary of War Henry Knox was in favor of granting the petition and the House of Representatives approved the petition in 02/1791, it is unclear whether anyone implemented it. On 06/30/1834, Congress resolved, “to the legal representatives of the late Margaret Leitch, widow of the late Major Andrew Leitch, a major in the army of the revolution . . . the seven years’ half pay” noting women and children received this entitlement from the Congressional resolution of 08/24/1780. This continued in the records into the 1840s as the family continued to affirm Leitch’s sacrifice in the Revolutionary War. Upon Sarah’s death in 1842, her children appealed to the courts and received “…from the Register of the land office, warrant or warrants due for the service of Andrew Leitch as Major in the Rev. war.”

Although Leitch was only active in Dumfries for a short time, his business as a merchant and enthuasiasm as a patriot directly impacted Prince William County. While he died early in the Revolutionary War, his family fought for decades for the recognition and rights based on his ultimate sacrifice. One lingering thought: Were Leitch’s tailors truly convicts and did the man with the wooden leg successfully hide it in his trousers?

Note: The Weems-Botts Museum is kicking back into high gear as we rush into September! From a featured guest speaker discussing Hessians in Dumfries to scheduled tours, we are excited to engage our community with both f2f and virtual programming! Check out our seasonal programs and tour availability on our website here.

(Sources: HDVI Archival Files; Orrison, Robert. “He Stood the Field with Great Bravery”: The Story of Major Andrew Leitch, Part 1 & 2, Emerging Revolutionary War Era Blog; “From George Washington to Samuel Washington, 5 October 1776,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-06-02-0371. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 6, 13 August 1776 – 20 October 1776, ed. Philander D. Chase and Frank E. Grizzard, Jr. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1994, pp. 486–488.];“[March 1775],” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/01-03-02-0005-0005. [Original source: The Diaries of George Washington, vol. 3, 1 January 1771–5 November 1781, ed. Donald Jackson. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1978, pp. 311–317.] “To George Washington from Sarah Leitch, 25 January 1791,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-07-02-0156. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 7, 1 December 1790 – 21 March 1791, ed. Jack D. Warren, Jr. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1998, pp. 282–283.])

[rhiannonroot]

BOOK REVIEW: ‘A Prince on Paper’ by Alyssa Cole

Content warning: Emotional abuse

I’m a little conflicted about Alyssa Cole’s “A Prince on Paper.” On the one hand, Cole does a lot of ambitious and interesting things in this book that I really enjoyed and admired. On the other, there are some issues that I can’t ignore.

Let’s begin, shall we? Nya Jerami is a shy, sweet young woman who is into video games and virtual dating apps. She’s the cousin of the previous heroine Ledi Smith (“A Princess in Theory”) and she’s returned home to celebrate the wedding.

Too bad the groom’s bestie Johan von Braustein is also in attendance. Dude is the prince of Liechtienbourg and a total tabloid darling. He’s a bad boy and pretty much the opposite of Nya. (I’m convinced that Johan is loosely based on Prince Harry of England. His late mother has a Princess Diana-like legacy.)

ANYWAY.

Nya accidentally bumps into him on the plane ride home. And then the two get thrown together in some wedding-themed traditions, tensions rise and Johan has a few moments of sweetness. (Nya unexpectedly gets her period, it’s visible and he makes sure she knows and no one sees, because blood stains are embarrassing.)

Meanwhile Nya plays an app called One True Prince and one of the last levels she has to complete is Johan-themed. Which is kinda hilarious. It does play into the plot a bit.

And then through wacky romance novel circumstances, Nya and Johan fake an engagement. Liechtienbourg is having a referendum on the monarchy and there’s a good chance that the royal family might not be in power anymore, so having a love story plays well in the polls. Nya wants some freedom and a little excitement. (And maybe to piss off her awful, controlling, abusive father.)

As you can imagine, the forced proximity and fake relationship sparks a lot of feelings between the two! And it’s a lot of fun.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this book. Cole pretty fearlessly and sensitively tackles some big issues, particularly emotional abuse by a parent and gender identity. We also see how two very different families work and don’t work – this will tug on your heartstrings. Arguably we also see how a found family works with the friendships among our heroines.

I liked Nya a lot as a heroine. She’s kind and sweet in a world that seems to want to crush it out of her. She’s also repeatedly underestimated, even though she proves herself over and over again. And best of all, she’s perceptive and incredibly savvy. In a lot of ways, Nya reminded me of Lara Jean from the “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” series.

We come to find out that Johan’s “carefree playboy” image is just an act. He’s a sensitive and caring dude. He makes himself into tabloid fodder because his younger half-brother is getting attention in the press and Johan wants to distract them. It kinda works? The logic isn’t super sound, but sure, dude. Johan also struggles with the loss of his mother and the relationships he has with his step-father king and crown prince brother.

For the most part, I liked their relationship, though there were multiple moments of “Could you two just fucking talk about the things that are bothering you?!”

“A Prince on Paper” is a pretty darn good book, all in all. However, like I said, I’m a little conflicted about a few things.

First and foremost, I have an issue with how Cole talks about media and journalism. Only tabloid journalists are ever mentioned or represented, which is incredibly frustrating. Look, I get that this is an element of the world, but ughhhhhhhhh, this isn’t OK. This is an issue because basic media literacy is a language many people don’t speak. So, if you didn’t know any better you’d think every journalist is part of an indistinguishable mob and that we’re all just a bunch of monsters who don’t have any sense of boundaries and only care about celebrities and their shenanigans.

This is an especially bad move because we’re coming upon the first anniversary of the killings at The Capital News-Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Pair this with the ongoing crisis of community newspapers folding, news deserts and mass layoffs in the industry and you have a huge fucking problems.

I’m sorry to single out Cole here, she’s not the only one who does this, but I can’t ignore it either. THIS IS NOT OK. Please, authors, please stop doing this.

Rant over. Other issues: The weird mashup of French and German doesn’t quite work. It reads weird. With the exception of Lukas, the secondary characters fall flat in this book. And the pacing is off. The ending is tied up too neatly and we never get the full emotional fallout we should have. There was also a thread that I was confused about and I don’t think ever got resolved. (The early diplomatic mission where Nya’s friend is married to a man who comes across jerk-like.)

All in all, this wasn’t my favorite of the series, but I enjoyed Cole’s prose and a lot of the risks she took. I look forward to reading more from her.

[investmart007]

ANNAPOLIS, Md. | The Latest: Hundreds attend vigil for slain paper staffers

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/u8SVRd

ANNAPOLIS, Md. | The Latest: Hundreds attend vigil for slain paper staffers

ANNAPOLIS, Md.— The Latest on the shootings targeting Maryland’s Capital Gazette newspaper (all times local):

8:15 p.m.

Hundreds of people have gathered in the shadow of the Maryland State House for a candlelight march in memory of five slain newspaper employees.

The mood was somber Friday as Capital Gazette reporter Phil Davis read aloud the names of his five slain co-workers before those gathers began marching through downtown Annapolis.

Some in the crowd carried signs and banners that said “#AnnapolisStrong.”

Melissa Wilson and her husband, Benjamin Wilson, brought their children to the vigil. Melissa Wilson’s employer has offices in the same building as the newspaper and has co-workers who were there when the gunman opened fire. She said many Annapolis residents have a “one degree of separation” connection with at least one of the five paper employees who were fatally shot Thursday.

“It’s not something you can ignore when it’s in your backyard,” she said.

___

7:15 p.m.

The former editor of the Maryland newspaper where five staffers were shot to death says he became increasingly alarmed five years ago when the suspect in the slayings began targeting him and others at the newspaper with angry messages on social media.

Tom Marquardt said he called police about Jarrod Ramos in 2013, but they said the messages were not clear-cut threats. Marquardt said he talked with the newspaper’s lawyers about seeking a restraining order against Ramos, but decided against it because he and others thought it could provoke Ramos to do something worse.

“We decided to take the course of laying low,” he said.

For more than two years, Ramos “went silent,” Marquardt said.

“This led us to believe that he had moved on, but for whatever reason, he decided to resurrect his issue with The Capital yesterday,” Marquardt said. “We don’t know why.”

___

6:35 p.m.

Dozens of mourners have gathered at a Maryland church to grieve and pay tribute to five slain newspaper employees, including a member of the church’s congregation.

The Rev. Fred Muir’s voice cracked when he described the mounting dread he had felt as it became clear Wendi Winters didn’t survive Thursday’s shooting at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis.

The 65-year-old Winters was a special publications editor and a mother of four.

Muir described her as a beloved “pillar of her community.”

Some of those attending the vigil at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis on Friday gasped when the Rev. John Crestwell noted that Winters had participated in a training session at the church three weeks ago on how to respond to an active shooter.

Crestwell said he was sure that Winters “did not cower in fear.” He said she “died a hero and probably saved more lives.”

___

6:25 p.m.

A police detective who several years ago investigated the man accused of fatally shooting five people this week at a Maryland newspaper said at the time that he did not think the man posed a threat to the paper’s employees.

Anne Arundel County Police said Friday that the detective had been assigned to investigate threatening comments Jarrod W. Ramos made online in 2013.

A police report from 2013 that authorities released Friday describes a conference call between the detective, an attorney for the publishing company, a former correspondent and the paper’s editor.

The detective said he told the other participants he didn’t think Ramos was a threat, based partly on the fact that he had not tried to enter the newspaper building and hadn’t sent “direct threatening correspondence.” The report also says Ramos’ contact with employees had been limited to Twitter and civil court filings.

The report says the newspaper had decided not to pursue any charges because doing so would be like “putting a stick in a beehive.”

___

6:10 p.m.

The Chicago-based publishing company for The Capital Gazette says it has established a fund to provide “relief and long-term recovery support” to the staff and families of victims at a Maryland newspaper where a shooting left five people dead.

Tronc Inc. said in a statement Friday that it had set up The Capital Gazette Families Fund for funeral expenses, trauma counseling, medical expenses not covered by insurance and other services.

The statement notes the Michael and Jacky Ferro Family Foundation will match up to $1 million in donations.

Tronc CEO Justin Dearborn also said in the statement that while Thursday’s attack appeared to specifically target the Capital Gazette, the company would be “enhancing security for all employees across the organization.”

Tronc Inc. publishes the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers and digital news sites in various markets.

Prosecutors say 38-year-old Jarrod W. Ramos opened fire Thursday in the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland.

He’s charged with five counts of first-degree murder.

(this item has been edited to correct the name of the publishing company, Tronc Inc.)

____

3:30 p.m.

The suspect in the shooting that left five people dead at a Maryland newspaper has been put on suicide watch.

A judge was told about the watch during a bond hearing Friday for 38-year-old Jarrod W. Ramos.

Judge Thomas Pryal also was given details about the suspect. The 5-foot-10 Ramos is single, with no children. He has lived in Maryland most of his life, including for the past 17 years in an apartment in Laurel, Maryland.

Pryal determined Ramos was still a danger and ordered him to remain in jail.

___

1 p.m.

President Donald Trump has offered a statement of support for journalists after a gunman fatally shot five people at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.

He said Friday at the White House that “journalists, like all Americans, should be free from the fear of being violently attacked while doing their jobs.”

Trump routinely calls the reporters who cover him “fake news” and “liars” and labels them “enemies of the people.”

A gunman shot his way into the newsroom of the Capital Gazette on Thursday, leaving five people dead.

Authorities and court records show the suspect had a well-documented history of harassing the paper’s journalists.

Trump said he is thinking of the survivors and the families of the “horrific, horrible” murders.

____

12:10 p.m.

A prosecutor says the shooter who opened fire at a Maryland newspaper had an escape plan he never implemented.

The suspect was captured by police while hiding under a desk at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis.

Prosecutor Wes Adams did not give any details about the escape plan. He said Friday that there were two entrances to the newspaper’s office. He says 38-year-old Jarrod W. Ramos entered through the front door on Thursday and “worked his way through the office.” He says Ramos barricaded the exit door so employees couldn’t escape, and that one of the five people who were killed was shot while trying to escape out that exit.

A judge ordered Ramos to remain detained during a court hearing Friday. Judge Thomas Pryal said found a likelihood that Ramos is a danger.

Ramos appeared at the hearing via video feed. He appeared to watch attentively during the hearing but never spoke. He was represented by public defender William Davis.

He is charged with five counts of first-degree murder.

___

11:45 a.m.

Authorities say the Maryland newspaper targeted in a shooting attack that left five people dead didn’t want to press charges in an earlier case.

Police Chief Timothy Altomare said at a news conference Friday that the Capital Gazette didn’t press charges over social media threats the shooting suspect had made against the newspaper in 2013.

Authorities have charged Jarrod W. Ramos with five counts of first-degree murder in the killings inside Maryland’s Capital Gazette office on Thursday.

Altomare said the shooter intended to “kill as many people as he could kill.”

___

11:30 a.m.

Authorities say the suspect in the deadly shooting at a Maryland newspaper used a pump-action shotgun in the attack at the Capital Gazette newspaper that left five people dead.

Police Chief Timothy Altomare also said at a news conference Friday that it is “absolutely untrue” that suspect Jarrod W. Ramos mutilated his fingertips.

Altomare also said that employees Rachel Pacella and Janet Cooley had been treated at a hospital and released after being injured during Thursday’s attack.

___

10 a.m.

The city of Annapolis is planning a vigil for the victims of a mass shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper.

The city announced on social media Friday that the vigil would begin at 8 p.m. at a public square near the Capitol, followed by a march to a dock for a service by the water.

The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland announced that the city’s houses of worship had planned a prayer vigil at 7 p.m. Friday at a mall across the street from the shooting site. All are welcome.

On Saturday, the 5:30 p.m. Eucharist at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in downtown will be offered for the victims.

___

9:30 a.m.

A Maryland newspaper attacked by a gunman has kept its promise to put out the next day’s paper, despite the shooting deaths of five people in its newsroom.

Hours after a gunman blasted his way inside The Capital Gazette on Thursday, the surviving staff tweeted out their defiance: “Tomorrow, this Capital page will return to its steady purpose of offering readers informed opinion about the world around them. But today, we are speechless.”

Friday morning’s edition featured in-depth coverage of the shooting and obituaries of the five people killed. Each victim’s photo appeared below the masthead.

And below the main shooting story were the staples of a community newspaper: a glance at the day’s weather and a teaser to a national story inside: “Trump, Putin: The two leaders will meet in Finland in July.”

__

9 a.m.

Court documents say a gunman who fatally shot five people at a Maryland newspaper tried to hide under a desk after the attack until police arrived.

A statement of probable cause obtained Friday by The Associated Press says surveillance video captured Thursday’s events at the Capital Gazette. It says Jarrod Ramos entered the newspaper’s office around 2:30 p.m.

The statement says Ramos used a “long gun firearm” and shot out the business doors, then shot people he encountered inside, killing five.

The statement says Ramos then “attempted to conceal himself under a desk” until police arrived and located him.

Ramos was in custody Friday and scheduled for a bond hearing at 10:30 a.m.

A spokeswoman for the Office of the Public Defender said the Anne Arundel office would be representing Ramos. She declined comment.

___

5:50 a.m.

Court records filed Friday show Jarrod W. Ramos has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the killings inside Maryland’s Capital Gazette office.

The online records do not list an attorney for Ramos, who is scheduled for a bail hearing 10:30 a.m. Friday in Annapolis.

Authorities say Ramos opened fire inside the newspaper office Thursday, killing five and injuring two others. He had a long, acrimonious history with the newspaper, including a lawsuit and years of harassment of its journalists.

___

12: 30 a.m.

Police say a man firing a shotgun killed four journalists and a staffer at Maryland’s capital newspaper before officers quickly arrived and took him into custody.

Police say they are a questioning the suspect, a white man in his late 30s, following Thursday’s attack on The Capital Gazette in Annapolis.

Acting Police Chief William Krampf of Anne Arundel County says it was a targeted attack in which the gunman “looked for his victims.”

Journalists described how they scrambled under desks and sought to hide during a few minutes of terror. They recounted hearing the gunman’s footsteps as he moved about the newsroom, firing his weapon.

The attack came amid months of verbal and online attacks on the “fake news media” from politicians and others from President Donald Trump on down.

__

By Associated Press

___

[sarcasticcynic]

On June 28, 2018, a mass shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, left five people dead.

On June 28, 2019, Trump honored this anniversary by publicly admiring the state of the press in Russia, where more than three dozen journalists have been murdered since 1992.

Russia is not exactly known for freedom of the press. The country “ranks 180 out of 199 countries for press freedom, behind Iraq, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.” Under Vladimir Putin’s presidency, 42 journalists have been killed; at least 26 of these were murder. Although there has never been any direct evidence tying Putin himself to the murders of his government’s critics, “many of the suspected perpetrators are military officials, government officials or political groups.”

We’ve known for a long time that none of this bothers Trump in the slightest. It’s not just that Trump resents the First Amendment, or that he repeatedly calls the U.S. press “the enemy of the people.” Back when Trump was just a candidate, he was asked point-blank about Putin allegedly murdering journalists who were critical of him. Far from being critical, Trump leapt to Putin’s defense:

“He’s running his country, and at least he’s a leader, unlike what we have on this country. I think our country does plenty of killing also.”

So it is unsurprising that when Trump was (as usual) complaining about the “fake news” media at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, he took a moment to tell Putin how much he envied him for not having the same problem with the Russian press:

“You don’t have this problem with Russia. We have. You don’t have it.”

Just for good measure: A reporter later asked Trump whether he would tell Putin not to meddle in the 2020 election. Trump turned to Putin, smiled, wagged a finger at him playfully, and said, “Don’t meddle in the election.” Then he and Putin laughed about it.

[fitemilk]

this is my husband, who works in the journalism field. earlier today (6/28), a madman with a gun shot up the newsroom of the capital gazette, a newspaper based out of annapolis, maryland.

journalists are now being directly targeted. please protect our journalists

my husband said that if he were in an active shooter situation, he’d be the second one dead based on proximity to the doors. no journalist should have to fear walking through those newsroom doors because they report on the news around us

this is a full fledged attack on journalism, make no bones about it. it’s here. it’s happening. it’s right now

[newstfionline]

How to criticize the press—responsibly

By Philip Eil, Columbia Journalism Review, October 31, 2018

We live in a moment of extraordinary tension between the press and the public. Donald Trump’s retort of “Fake news” is now a particular favorite of dictators and authoritarians around the world. The prevailing anti-press animosity at the national level has trickled down to local reporters, the Associated Press reports. And it’s not just threats. In June, a man opened fire with a shotgun inside the offices of the Capital Gazette, in Annapolis, Maryland, killing five newspaper employees and injuring two others. In October, a Bulgarian journalist was raped and murdered, a Saudi journalist was assassinated and dismembered inside his own government’s consulate, and mail bombs were sent to the New York offices of CNN.

It’s a good time for a refresher for citizens on what constitutes a healthy, constructive conversation about the work we produce. Here are a few dos and don’ts for how to respond to the press.

DON’T commit or condone violence against journalists. Violence against journalists is unacceptable under any circumstances, no matter what the President tweets and says at his rallies.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 1,300 journalists have been killed worldwide since 1992, and a newly released CPJ report notes that impunity for killers of journalists is “entrenched in 14 nations.” Meanwhile, 40 journalists have been physically attacks in the United States so far this year, according to the US Press Freedom Tracker.

DON’T make it personal. Nonviolence may be the lowest bar to clear when responding to a work of journalism. But it’s also not productive to personally criticize the journalist who produced it. This means refusing to comment on a journalist’s age, appearance, gender, race, class, religion, sexual orientation, education, outfit, or anything else about them, when responding to their work. In all cases, stick to the work, not the person.

This, of course, is Human Decency 101, but it applies especially to journalists, who conduct their work in public about sensitive subjects. And, staying focused on the work will actually help get your message across. Washington Post media columnist and former New York Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan tells me she makes a point to respond to reader emails. “But I do not answer the ones that attack me,” she says. As soon as they get personally insulting, “I tune out.”

To that I’ll add: many journalists are perfectionists who take great pride in their work, so if your goal is to cause emotional pain, pointing to flaws in what we wrote is often more upsetting than any ad hominem jab, anyway.

DO know that feedback is essential to journalism. Listening to our audience isn’t some optional, take-it-or-leave-it aspect of journalism; it’s a vital part of what we do. This is both ideological--you’ll find calls for audience feedback throughout the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics and the American Press Institute’s “What Is Journalism” digital library--but it’s also practical. While we strive for accuracy and excellence, journalists are often assigned topics cold, and trying to establish expertise quickly. Or we’re simply working on extremely tight deadlines. Slip-ups are inevitable, and we need your help spotting and correcting them.

So, if we got something factually wrong, tell us so we can fix it quickly. And if there was something wrong in the bigger sense--in the way a piece was framed or presented, or if there are subjects or stories we continue to miss--tell us so we don’t make the same mistake twice. Journalists are overworked, and it may take us a moment to respond. But an upside to our workload is that we rarely run out of opportunities to try to do better next time.

DO read/watch/listen to the full article before responding. This one is pretty self explanatory: if you didn’t complete (or even begin!) the piece, you’re really in no position to give a constructive response. At least give it a skim?

DO be as specific as possible. The least helpful criticism simply makes sweeping claims about “the media,” a term that, as the Washington Post’s Paul Farhi has skillfully explained, is “so imprecise and generic that it has lost any meaning.” One notch better (but still essentially useless) are blanket statements about an entire news outlet or a particular reporter. In contrast, the best feedback zeroes in not just on a specific article, but the specific place that was incorrect or ill advised, and, when possible, backs up its claims with evidence or a detailed explanation.

Once you toss some of these specifics on the table, we can begin to have a productive conversation.

DO remember that journalists are human beings acting in good faith. In a world in which reporters are called “scum,” “disgusting,” “enemies” and much worse, it’s worth stating--and restating--that journalists are human beings. We are flesh-and-blood people with spouses, friends, parents, children, pets, memories, hobbies, and mortgages. We like pizza. We pay taxes. We go to the gym and take out the trash. And if you’re inclined to leave an angry voicemail or slide your thumb across your throat at us, it’s important to remember: that’s someone’s brother or sister. That’s a human being, with a heartbeat, a birthday, a favorite song. Don’t believe those who tell you otherwise.

And, beyond our basic humanity, the vast majority of us are trying to do as fair and accurate of a job as possible.

DO support us, if you appreciate our work. I’m sure I’m far from the only journalist who, years later, can quote verbatim lines from positive reader feedback. (One email included the unforgettable phrase, “Please keep writing.”) These words fill our emotional gas tanks and remind us why we do this work. It certainly isn’t the pay.

So, if you learned something from a piece of journalism, or you were moved or challenged or entertained by it, take a moment to mention that to the person who created it. Don’t assume that someone else has said something. Somehow, thanks to the wonders of the human mind, notes like this can cancel out the memory of a thousand nasty comments.

And if you’re feeling grateful, words aren’t the only useful form of praise. Subscribe. Donate. Defend us in conversations. Journalism is hard work that, though often accessed for free, costs enormous time, labor, energy, and money to produce. If you appreciate what we do, we’ll gladly take whatever support you can offer in return. Even pizza.

Especially pizza.

[cluelessrebel1988]

Today, we are speechless. This page is intentionally left blank to commemorate victims of Thursday's shooting in our office...Tomorrow this page will return to its steady purpose of offering our readers informed opinion about the world around them, that they might be better citizens.

The Opinion page of today’s issue of The Capital Gazette

[tqpannie]

Regrann from @everytown - A reporter who was present when a gunman opened fire inside the Capital Gazette newspaper building in Annapolis, Maryland, tweeted about the experience and later compared the newsroom to a war zone. Americans should be able to go to work, school, entertainment venues, places of worship — anywhere — without the threat of gun violence. Text ACT to 644-33 to join the millions of Americans demanding solutions to this senseless crisis. - #regrann