A day after a gunman killed four journalists and a sales assistant at the Capital Gazette’s office in Annapolis, a social media campaign is urging people to show their support by subscribing to the newspaper.
The campaign has attracted the attention of several high-profile figures, including former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said that he would be subscribing and called on others to do the same.
“Some days, I don’t agree with the media. Some days, they are a fantastic sparring partner. But every day, journalists are strong allies of our democracy, shining a light into darkness,” Schwarzenegger wrote on Friday afternoon. “My heart goes out to everyone at @capgaznews. Join me in subscribing.”
He added, “I know that my career would have been impossible without the media. But more importantly, journalists put their lives in danger to bring us information – they should never be threatened in their newsrooms. Becoming a digital subscriber to support their work is the least I can do.”
I know that my career would have been impossible without the media. But more importantly, journalists put their lives in danger to bring us information – they should never be threatened in their newsrooms. Becoming a digital subscriber to support their work is the least I can do.
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) June 29, 2018
New York Times reporter Jacob Bernstein and CNN reporter Abby Phillip also made calls to support the Capital and local journalism.
Instead of screaming into the wind about Trump's attacks on the press, let's subscribe to the Capital Gazette for $2 a week and put money behind the idea journalists aren't enemies. First 4 weeks just $0.99. Cancel whenever. Link here: https://t.co/zGTHjV1RSO. Please RT.
— Jacob Bernstein (@BernsteinJacob) June 29, 2018
https://twitter.com/abbydphillip/status/1012639223403438082
The Capital Gazette, the Baltimore Sun Media Group and Tronc did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
The newspaper published an edition on Friday morning.”Today, we are speechless,” the newspaper wrote on its editorial page, which was intentionally left blank to commemorate the victims of the shooting. “Tomorrow this Capital page will return to its steady purpose of offering readers informed opinion about the world around them.”
The police released the names of the five employees killed in the shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper on Thursday evening: editor Rob Hiaasen, sales assistant Rebecca Smith, and writers Wendi Winters, Gerald Fischman and John McNamara.
The shooting suspect was taken into custody and interrogated Thursday night, Annapolis, Maryland police said in a press briefing. Citing law enforcement sources, NBC, CNN and the Baltimore Sun identified the suspect as 38-year-old Jarrod Ramos, a man who had a longstanding dispute with the paper stemming from its coverage of a criminal case in which Ramos was convicted of harassing a woman who rejected his advances.
Some commentators have blamed right-wing politicians and commentators — including President Donald Trump, former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos, and NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch — for inciting the shooting with their calls for violence against journalists.