Capital Gazette Staff Make Time's Person Of The Year Cover

ANNAPOLIS, MD — They put out a newspaper even in the wake of a workplace shooting that killed five of their colleagues. For that, and for the daily work of covering the news of the Annapolis region, the Capital Gazette newspaper was included Tuesday by Time magazine as part of the "Guardians and the War On Truth" — a group of journalists whose pursuit of the truth landed them in jail or cost them their lives — as the 2018 Person of the Year.

Other honorees include slain Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi; Maria Ressa, the editor of a Philippine news website who was arrested after critical coverage of its president's controversially violent policies; and Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who detained in Myanmar for nearly a year after investigating a massacre of Rohingya Muslims.

Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday noted the "heinous act of violence" that took the newspaper staffers' lives. "I will always be proud that the Capital is my hometown newspaper, and I have the greatest respect for all of the incredible men and women who work there. Journalism is a noble profession upon which our democracy depends, and these honorable individuals - and their colleagues across the state - serve each day to shine light on the world around us so that we might see with more clarity and greater understanding."

One Capital Gazette reader said on the paper's Facebook page: "Congratulations! Sending you all love, you're all amazing and our hearts are with you. XO."

Time says it selected the group "for taking great risks in pursuit of greater truths, for the imperfect but essential quest for facts that are central to civil discourse, for speaking up and speaking out."

On June 28, the Annapolis newspaper whose office was the scene of one of the worst attacks in decades on U.S. media. Together, the five people shot and killed and two others injured were a solid news crew, dedicating their careers to a newspaper that traces its roots to Colonial days. Police said Jarrod Ramos, of Laurel, Maryland, made a "targeted attack" on the newspaper.

Through the chaos, reporters provided the eyewitness accounts that are a hallmark of journalism, sharing the gut wrenching ordeal in a series of tweets sent from their crouched positions under desks, where they shielded themselves from the gunman's bullets.

"We will never forget Rob, Wendy, John, Rebecca or Gerald, nor will we cease to be inspired by the courage and tenacity of Pat Furgurson, Joshua McKerrow, Rick Hutzell and all the countless others who pressed on despite the circumstances," wrote the West Annapolis Business Affiliation on Facebook. "Wendy wrote many profiles about business owners and teens in West Annapolis. Josh took countless photos of events and places in the neighborhood. Their work made a difference. TIME, you definitely got it right!"

Here's a look at the five victims:

Rob Hiaasen, 59, Assistant Editor / Sunday Columnist
Rob Hiaasen, a former award-winning feature writer with the Baltimore Sun and Palm Beach Post who joined the Capital as an assistant editor in 2010 and wrote a Sunday column. He had also taught at the University of Maryland.

Novelist and Miami Herald columnist Carl Hiaasen, told The Washington Post his brother was "an incredibly gentle, generous and gifted guy," and former Capital reporter Tina Reed called him a "philosopher and poet" and "coach and mentor" with an interest in teaching young journalists to succeed.

Gerald Fischman, 61, Editorial Page Editor

For 25 years, Gerald Fischman was the conscious of the Capital Gazette, cleverly weaving an "an encyclopedia of knowledge" into insightful editorials about the community. He was known to be quiet, reserved and quirky, but had a wry wit, wicked pen and extraordinary brilliance, his colleagues told The Baltimore Sun.

"He had ability that, I thought, deserved a higher calling than The Capital," longtime editor and publisher Tom Marquardt told the newspaper. "He was a great writer. He was a really smart guy, so smart that he tried out for 'Jeopardy!' twice," Marquardt said. "But he couldn't get accepted because they didn't like his personality. That was Gerald's spin, anyway."

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He believed fiercely in the role of the editorial page. In a December 2017 column looking back at some of the events during President Trump's tumultuous first year in office, he wrote: "The newspaper editorial page — on which the issues of the day are dissected not just by staff-written editorials but by guest columnists and letter writers — may be the best way to read a community's mind."

He was a consummate professional who served his local audience, putting local elections on par with national contests.

Fischman graduated from the University of Maryland in 1979. He was married late in his life to an opera singer from Mongolia that he met online.

John McNamara, 56, Sports Reporter

John McNamara was a fixture in the Capital Gazette newsroom for more than 20 years. A "jack of all trades," he could do many jobs at the newspaper, but covering regional sports was his "dream job," his colleagues said.

McNamara's colleagues praised his flexibility and concise writing, as well a razor-sharp wit that produced some memorable one-liners, longtime Baltimore Sun reporter Jeff Barker recalled of the time the two spent together covering University of Maryland sports.

A 1983 graduate of the University of Maryland, he also had worked at The Herald-Mail in Hagerstown, Maryland, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Rebecca Smith, 34, Sales Assistant

Rebecca Smith was a newcomer to the Capital Gazette, joining the staff last year as a sales assistant. She had worked in marketing for a health care organization. Her boss, advertising director Marty Padden, said she was "a very thoughtful person."

"She was kind and considerate, and willing to help when needed," Padden said in a Capital Gazette account. "She seemed to really enjoy working in the media business."

Smith described herself in her Facebook profile as a survivor of endometriosis and "Dog Mom. Softball Fiance. Bonus Mom to the best kid ever."

Wendi Winters, 65, Editor / Community Reporter

Wendi Winters set aside a career in fashion and public relations in New York City 20 years ago and moved to Maryland, where she began working as a stringer for the Capital Gazette. Her reliability as a freelance writer and well-known community resource earned her a permanent spot at the newspaper in 2013.

She loved and was talented at documenting both people's individual achievements and community milestones, former Capital Gazette community news editor Leslie Hunt told The Baltimore Sun.

Maryland's Congressional delegation is trying to persuade President Trump to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Winters, who faced down the accused gunman. According to eyewitness accounts from survivors of the shooting, Winters armed herself with the closest weapons at hand – her trash and recycling bins – and charged the shooter, shouting for him to stop. It is believed that Wendi's actions distracted the shooter enough to enable several of her coworkers to escape, said Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, in a statement.

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Image: The edition of the the Capital Gazette for sale on a newspaper stand, on June 29, 2018 in Annapolis, Maryland. A day earlier, five people were shot and killed in the daily newspaper's newsroom by a lone gunman. Jarrod Ramos of Laurel, Maryland, has been arrested and charged. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)