Trying to find the words to talk about the shooting in Roanoke is proving to be incredibly hard.
I didn't know Alison Parker or Adam Ward. But, I do know that they set out that morning to do things that every reporter or photographer has ever done. It was routine. For once, it was a happy story. A story that you got to smile about and have fun with. It was a rarity.
Journalists everywhere are talking about Roanoke. People everywhere are talking. How could this happen? I'd be lying if I said I was never scared in my job. I've been terrified. Showing up to crime scenes, knocking on doors, standing in the middle of storms. But, I've never thought I would be murdered while on a story.
That's what happened to Alison and Adam. They went to work to tell the news. That's a right we earned. They thought nothing of it. They died do what they loved.
Newsrooms across the Country were stunned. Journalists were heartbroken. We lost 2 members of our family this week. It's a highly competitive business but this is a time we need to come together. We need to look out for each other. I know we're all trying to get the story and get the story first, but we have to keep an eye on one another.
I spent hours crying Wednesday. Crying for my friends, the coworkers of Alison and Adam, their friends and family members. I can't imagine the pain that so many of them are feeling. I'm feeling the pain and I didn't even know them.
There's a blog written by a journalist that says it better than I ever could. I highly recommend you read it. http://jayewatsononline.com/roanoke/
Because frankly, I couldn't say it any better. I've been searching for the right words and I just can't find them.
