I believe in the profession of journalism. I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of a lesser service than the public service is a betrayal of this trust. I believe that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism. I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true. I believe that suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society, is indefensible.

While Walter Williams, the first dean of the Missouri School of Journalism, penned the Journalist’s Creed more than a century ago, his words still ring true in newsrooms across the country. In fact, his words hang on my wall, directly in front of where I sit at my desk in my office, serving as a daily reminder of the importance and the duty that I have to the community I serve.

Not everyone always agrees with me. Sometimes those disagreements come in the form of letters, other times phone calls. Some are anonymous, some are brave enough to let me know who they are. Every once in a while, I’ll receive a visit from someone who wants to tell me face-to-face to let me know what they think.

I have felt unsafe a time or two. I’ve received threatening phone calls or emails, and I’ve been told not to write certain things certain ways. I have had to call the police and I have had to watch my back...I think every journalist who is doing his/her job has felt this way at least once.

Last week, though, when news of the tragedies in Annapolis, Maryland came across my desk, I couldn’t help but think how easily this could have been my own newsroom, or how much we take for granted every day. The irony that the same day, a front-page story regarding a recent active shooter training ran on my front page was not lost on me.

No one goes to work knowing whether or not they’ll make it home at the end of the day. My heart breaks for my cohorts at The Capital Gazette, for those who lost their lives to a monster, and for those who were left behind to write the stories. Their work continues, whether or not they are grieving. They put out a damn paper. And I’m pretty damn proud of them for doing so.

I’d like to give the rest of the space in my column to those five in Annapolis. There’s room here, just as they have taken up a part our hearts. Rest in peace, friends. You will be missed.
In memory of The Capital Gazette five:

Gerald FischmanRob HiaasenJohn McNamaraRebecca SmithWendi Winters