The Capital newspaper published a 40-page edition on Friday. The headline across the front page, “5 shot dead at The Capital,” was just below photographs of the five people killed — Gerald Fischman, 61, the editorial page editor; Rob Hiaasen, 59, an editor and features columnist; John McNamara, 56, a sports reporter and editor for the local weekly papers; Rebecca Smith, 34, a sales assistant; and Wendi Winters, 65, a local news reporter and community columnist.
In a newsroom of about 20 people, the work required to publish the paper was a team effort. The lead article about the shooting listed 10 staff members in the byline. Inside the newspaper, the pages were filled with details about the suspected gunman, the news organization’s origins in the 1720s and profiles on the five people who died.
On Page 8, there were two stories that, on any other day, might have filled the front page. Mr. Davis wrote about a former Army medic who was a double amputee who had died in a paddling accident in the Chesapeake Bay. Another reporter, Rachel Pacella, wrote about a ceremony she attended on Thursday morning for new midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. It included a photograph by Mr. McKerrow.
Over the past 26 years, the following page in Friday’s edition usually included an editorial by Mr. Fischman, known for his sharp but fair opinions as the voice of the editorial page. But Mr. Fischman was among the dead, and the page was largely left blank except for a small block of text in the middle.
“Today, we are speechless,” it said, listing the names of the five people who had died. “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.”
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/29/business/media/gazette-shooting-newspaper.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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