The tragic fatal shooting of five journalists at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland is a powerful reminder that private grievances are resulting in mass executions with increased frequency. Unlike school shooting victims who assumed no voluntary risk and are simply required to go to school, journalists contend with a host of dangers that form a major part of their job description. Covering hurricanes, wildfires, war zones and every other calamity (natural or otherwise) is exactly what they are expected to do. However, unless actively involved in the coverage of a dangerous story, no journalist should reasonably fear for their life based solely upon their title as a reporter.

Government leaders foment true hatred against all unflattering media coverage as “fake.” Individual journalists are erroneously saddled with blame for having made the lives of angry, disaffected, average but passionate people worse than they really are. Within the target audience of a motivated politician, celebrity or litigant, are masses that care neither to hear the truth or consider it as neutrally reported. The angrier a person becomes at his or her lot in life, journalists are increasingly characterized as the tip of the spear that actually pierced that alienated person’s unfortunate reality.