Annapolis Capital Gazette Journalist Killing Editorial

By Susan Robens-Brannon

June 30, 2018

Ode to five fine journalists

I am deeply saddened for the five lives lost at the newsroom Capital Gazette shooting in Annapolis, Md. These lives are, Gerald Fischman, 61, Rob Hiaasen, 59, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith 34, and Wendi Winters, 65.

As a reporter for a small-town print newspaper and this shooting hit close to home. Most small-town reporters do not get wealthy from our work, we do it because it is our passion. It is our passion to inform the community about what is going on, the new business, the possible new development in town, the 100-year-old birthday celebration and music in the streets. We report on local crime, arrests and possible corruption in the government. 

The small-town newspaper is not fake-news, it is as close as you can get to real news, we work under high ethical guidelines and double-check our facts. We work long hours and fight for print news hoping that it will not die. Where else can you get local news in one place?

The paper did its job, they reported on a person, Jarrod Ramos, with evidence of harassing women over social media, in court he pleaded guilty. Reporting on this, is not a crime, it is the news. We report on sex crimes all of the time, we report on drug arrests, and we report on murders. These facts are not defamation, but admitted, found guilty or brought into charge and public information. We report on these issues all of the time, it is normal and responsible.

It is said that Ramos made threats in 2013, a detective investigated the threats and the paper decided not to pursue criminal charges because it may exacerbate the situation. Ramos then took the issue to court and lost his round of appeals in 2016, claiming that he had been wronged by the paper. From 2011 to early 2016, Ramos waged war through social media, he tweeted 149 times at the Gazette’s official account, he mentioned the columnists Eric Hartley 201 times and a dozen named the newspaper’s former editor, Thomas Marquardt. Ramos mentioned that he would enjoy if the paper would cease publication, but nicer if both Hartley and Marquardt cease breathing in 2015.

Could the paper had done something different to prevent this brutal and hateful killing of its employees? Would the Capital Gazette have paid for an office security guard? What are the boundaries before taking preventative action as a reporter? I know that my newspaper would not spend the extra money on a security guard, even if threats continued for years. The small-town paper is working hard to stay afloat, or at least that is what they tell us. That is another story.

I can only be reminded of a time when I was reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and received death threats. I took them seriously. I changed my publication name and used a pseudo name, kept my whereabouts unknown by changing my IP address often. It seemed to have worked, I am alive. One time, I even moved when the threats increased in both demeanor and became daily.

The problem is that it is difficult to know where to draw the line for safety as journalist. Do we just brush it off and say they will get over it as we think most people would? In America, we might get jailed for reporting on a protest, but we normally do not concern ourselves with getting shot. 

The mainstream news will make this all about gun control, once again. They take any gun event and blow it out of proportion, ignoring the fact that our moral fiber has been disintegrating for years. It is the fiber of our society that we should be concerned about, not gun control. 

It is the increased stress that Americans are under, and the 1% that control the 99% causing economic inequity, it is the non-livable wages, lack of time off, lack of medical benefits and the high cost of medicine causing hard working Americans to sell their homes when things go wrong to pay the medical bills. It is the fear of our lives being compromised, losing our jobs, working more hours for less pay and isolation due to social media and television. It is these things that are causing more than 24 percent of American who live under extreme stress. Eight in 10 American’s suffer from stress. Seven people every 2 seconds die from stress every year worldwide, that is 110 million people and that was 2013 data. This number of deaths more than that from guns.

Ramos was stressed. Stress leads to all kinds of negative physical symptoms, panic attacks, anxiety, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, fears, phobias, ulcers, overeating, smoking, alcohol and drug use. Ramos lost it. Stress causes anxiety, and anxiety can lead to violence and aggressive behavior in some people. Ramos did a bad thing, he messed up and as a result lost his job. He felt bullied because although he pleaded guilty, he did not take responsibility for what he did. He felt powerless. 

The paper missed the signs. The continual threats and harassment of the paper and the lashing out reflected that Ramos was at a breaking point. He was both angry and stressed and that is a toxic combination. Again, I say it is not the gun, it is the person behind the gun that is the concern. We in the journalist world has lost comrades due to the moth holes in the moral tapestry that once held our country together. I pray for their families, I pray for their loved ones, I pray for those who are still alive at the paper and I pray for America.

Las Vegas Shooting Aftermath Image

You can see that the lights are on and there are bodies just laying out there unattended and all alone.  I am not saying that these are not people who were killed however, if someone in my group was shot and laying on the ground, you bet I would be next to them to ensure proper care.  I would also hope that my friends or family would do the same thing for me.  I can include the fact that it is possible that these people ran away to feel safer.  Yet, this image was taken clearly way after the shooting had stopped.  In that case, I find it strange that the people did not start going back to be near those that were shot.  There is absolutely not a soul standing around out in that field.  There are only a few near the fence, with what "seems" like they are attending someone that is injured.  There are no police, there are not any firemen, EMT's....nada.

To me, this is both strange and very sad.  To be left alone in a field like that totally ignored and forgotten.  It is impossible to know by standing a distance if any of those people may still alive, but cannot move because of their injuries.  Why were there not more people assisting? Something is not right.

If this is the world we live in then we are in deep trouble.  After a horrible situation as this, I would have thought that the entire city would have come out to assist once the shooting had stopped.  It reminds me of people just walking over bodies laying on the sidewalk and not stopping to ensure that they are okay.  This has happened several times and it took hours to find out that someone had died from a heart attack or stroke.  People just step over the bodies stereotyping one thing or another, not wanting to lend a helping had.  This image makes me very sad.

This image was found at: https://i.redd.it/03vee8upuipz.jpg  

JESUS CAMPOS ON ELLEN (ANALYSIS)

This video has a photo comparison:  When Campos received a hero award a week ago, and how he appears on Ellen.  In one week Campos gained umm I don't know 35 or more pounds?  Doesn't need his glasses..okay so he can wear contacts for the show.  Bill Still below gives some really sound analysis on this one and only interview in his lifetime of Campos.  This is it folks.  and no more Campos...the key witness for a hideous crime.

Sorry folks...already the video was removed...let me try again..below this video: (October 27, 2017) I must say that I am seeing more and more censorship on both GlueTube and Google than ever before. I've been doing this for a very long time (15 years?) and have never seen anything like this.  I do not make any money from this, for it is a "post war journalism" outlet for me and the importance to share with other the things that I research and discover.  It is not all for myself, but for public integrity, truth and reality, sticking up for our nation, the people, our water, our food and more.  Propaganda has been evident for a very long time, I know since the 1930's it is not new.  We just need to keep providing information as much as we can to counter the propaganda that is in our faces on a daily basis.

I would rather know the facts and the reality in events.  Wouldn't you want to understand what really happened for horrible crimes such as the Las Vegas shooting?  If we know what really happened, then we will know how to help for it NOT to happen again.  However, it has become evident to myself, that money is what talks, money is what makes our laws, money is what has the power and lives really do not matter it seems.  This is not new of course, this too has been going on for a long time.  But most of us were not alive in the 30's, so we must continue to educate others so we can all wake up and not slumber allowing our lives and rights to slowly drift away.  (That's my venting for the day!)

Being that censorship is increasing, I have to spend more of my time reviewing previous posts to "update" with new material...if any.  I've added more videos below

The analysis was removed below:



The interview below:


A commentary below:



I think Glue-Tube removed most of the analysis videos (27 Oct 2017) Here is something close that I found:

People are still living in FEMA's toxic trailers

Don't forget what FEMA did with their trailers....Guys if you are still living in one of these....I am not sure if there is any legal recourse. 

Five in Ten 10/5/17: Facebook and Russia

Okay, #Russia linked political advertisements on #Facebook totaled around $50,000.  The statement is that this said $50,000 tilted the presidential election towards #Trump with its influence...so much in fact, that Trump won.  Whereas, #Hillary okay...get this...I will repeat..#Hillay spent. umm how much for her campaign?  Well, she spent $1.2 BILLion on her campaign.

Not to mention that the statement says Russian influenced...this could mean a Russian American immigrant..possibly?

So, this means that #Facebook has so much influence on the #American people it influenced them to vote for #Trump over #Hillary with $50,000 in advertisements compared to $1.2 BILLION using television, mainstream influence, Facebook (yes, she advertised on Facebook also)  Oh, if we could all change the world with $50,000!

Mandalay Bay mystery: Where's all the expended BRASS?

This guy makes some great points.  It was the bullet shells that made me wonder...not enough of them in the images.  I have to mention that I was a war photographer and saw many bullets laying on the ground after a shooting of automatic rifles during a battle, or by snipers.  This image does not reflect the realities that I personally encountered.  I understand that a lot has been coming out on this, after this posting and as time creeps on.  Follow up on this blog for follow ups.

The Real War, It Has Begun, The War on Propaganda

Bikini Island, Freedom of Navigation, The War on Propaganda.
This is a different kind of war, technology, a war on the minds, a war to control and a war to tell lies.
The War on Propaganda.

I have to say something here to all of you that know me.  Back in the days during my photojournalism life in the Middle East, I would come to America and talk about the propaganda lies that you all are being fed, the untruths and the attempt to control your mind from the realities that were taking place.  The weapons of mass destruction, the killing of Osama Bin-Laden, The destruction and murder of millions of lives around truths that were not real.

People looked at me like I was crazy, no one really cared, everyone running around with their busy lives doing this and that while in the meantime billions were getting spent on something that was not real.  I know, I was there and the truth punched me in the face.  I could not remain silent.

The true war is not bombs, it is propaganda to justify the bombs.

I was called an activist, not photojournalist by American editors and pushed out of the mainstream media light, mocked and laughed at by corrupt journalists. Yet, there were some outlets that would publish my images and articles, all of them were outside of America on foreign soil.  When I would get discouraged, some stranger from somewhere out there would send an email, to encourage me to keep pushing forward and as a result, I would once again stand up and continue.  Although so many times, I felt like the voiceless voice of truth.  The speaker of untold stories. (the title of the book I am working on).

All these years, it has been a struggle for me morally, and economically.  I have had death threats while those in my country laughed at my face, rolled their eyes and looked at me like I was looney.

This is what happens to those who stand up for justice, even Martin Luther King was murdered for this.  This is how it is for those who stand up to moral values.  These are the people who should stand tall, look up and take firm steps.  I want to encourage those who stand for justice, the reporters that have no names, the ones that spend their entire lifetime yelling from the mountain tops to those who just might hear. As long as there is still a place that exists for using free speech we must continue to make use of it.  Don't give up!

Finally, a journalist gives a talk at a  university that allowed him to speak (in a different country of course) In this video, he says it like it is.  I encourage you to listen.

Who better to batter about Fake News than an Independent Reporter?

I just want to say that if anyone has the right to get on a rampage about fake news it is myself due to my background and experience working in the Middle East wars as a female independent journalist.  I have been spurting "fake news" for over a decade.  Of course, I am small and not known anymore at least in America, no one even my family believed/s what I have been saying about what you are being told through mainstream, who owns it, what happens and the consequences of the lies and deceptions that even then I knew would take place....I am talking about my Middle East experience.

On the day of 9-11, I was in Jerusalem.  I had a phone call and she said turn on your TV and then hung up.  I listened to the terminology being used within hours and the increase as time went on.  It was clear, we were going to justify another war.  Terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, more terrorism, evil people, enemies, etc.  I am not saying this to minimize those who died in 9-11 and the shock that our country went through.  I am stating what I saw was obvious and from there it was obvious that the towers did not fall down because of a simple airplane on the top floors.  The building was too big for that.  I have seen planes crash into buildings, and they did not crumble, and they were houses, much smaller don't you think?

I went into Iraq, because what good Middle East professional truth telling photojournalist would not? I saw the truth, I reported the truth and was labeled as anti-American, an activist (by editors in America).  Nothing sold in America, but my work sold worldwide everywhere else.  Yes, it was before the increase of propaganda and lies, at the beginning of the decision to go into Iraq.  Later, many other countries joined the club, but the people still wanted the truth and the truth they got.

Yet, I saw firsthand so many lies and truths being ignored by mainstream, you name them, they were there.  And yes, even Reuters and AP, they did not want the story if someone did not die.  No one wanted on the ground real stories, the lives and effects from the war.  

Yes, I went around Iraq, looking for weapons of mass destruction.  I did not find any.  Only confused Iraqi's who were happy to walk on bridges.  Did you see anyone interview the only Catholic Bishop in Baghdad after and American incursion very early in the morning looking for weapons in his church?  Nope.  Never published here in the good ole states.

So if anyone deserves to go on this path during a time when mainstream, who feed the very lies to you for years is saying that WE are fake?  

Problem is, I started before blogging, I did it the old fashioned way before videos were desired and short clips were most viewed.  I did this before You Tube and Blogger and Word Press.  Before these new outlets, one had to have their feet on the ground and know people to get work to survive.  It was not a problem.  Now, it is different and independent news like I know it, where you actually go and talk and walk and investigate and live in an area to get the facts seem to be yesterday.  

But I would say to you, something to consider...Do you get the facts from journalists/independents who scroll online and research the internet for the facts?  No, you do not get on the ground reporting. So in the end, even independent news has been degraded.  It is my firm belief that the only way to get the real news is to be there yourself.  Walking around, interviewing, looking and searching, photographing, writing, typing and more.  This is the only way to get true independent real news.

I wish that I could find a way to get support/jobs from real agencies that would allow me to get back to the world that I knew, that I am good at, that I can do.

Now?  I work at a retail store, evenings and weekends at less that livable wage.

Thanks folks.

Homeless guy spits some truth.

This homeless man speaks truth.  Back to the Crossing Borders Project and a bit of humanity...remember to give, love and smile.

NewsTeam: Trails of Tragedies (E33)

Susan Robens Photography

This is a great newscast, real journalism in getting the stories in real time.  Part is in Gaza and the other part is in the Ukraine covering the MH17 plane Crash of Malaysia Airlines.

I must mention if you pay attention around 17:15 where they show the site of the crash, you will notice a book that is not burned, a stuffed animal that is not burned and other objects.  The black box was found.  Compare that to the crash sites on 9/11.  I am not talking about the one at the WTC where we should have found the real black box, but the other crash sites.  At both sites, you do not see any plane or personal debris.  There are no bodies anywhere in the videos.  Strange huh?  Come on, reality check.  Reality folks, obvious reality.

World Beyond War

Susan Robens Photography

Photojournalists are into the news, we are not just behind the camera but a part of telling the story.

World Beyond War is a non profit organization attempting to change the world out of war.  Their website has a statement for you to sign and commitments to make.  They are going global.

Body of War

Susan Robens Photography
This is truly one of the best docs that I have seen.  Please share this with as many people as you can. This doc reflects the reality of war and expresses the things that I have seen and known and tried to express for a very long time.  It is a story about a war veteran who returned to America.  He is trying to manage his life and his disabilities and become a voice.  My heart goes out to all of the American vets who have given their time and their bodies for our unjust wars.  Many of Americans are deceived and we are being deceived once again.  Our government has prepared a ton of propaganda to prepare the American people to enter into Syria.  Not for justice, but to oust President Assad and to replace him with someone that we want.  Syria is a sovereign country and we have no right to go in and offer more weapons of mass destruction and train others to fight.  As we have done with both Al Qaida and ISIL.  The more bombing, the more enemies that we create.

Just like the conflict between Israel and Palestine.  Has all of Israel's bombings and taking of land and killing of families created peace and justice in the land or has it created more enemies.  The difference between Israel and America is that we cannot create walls to keep our newly created enemies out.

Please watch.

The Truth About ISIS & Obama's War Speech

Susan Robens Photography

Talk about the reality of why we are going in Syria and the truth behind this new ever lasting war.  These constant wars cost trillions of dollars and is ongoing to benefit whom?  Not Americans.  These wars endanger the very lives of Americans abroad and who want to do humanitarian work or provide the news.

America's infrastructure cannot withstand and is falling apart while Detroit lacks water.  Students cannot pay for their education, people cannot find jobs while corporate mongrels lobby our congress to pass bills that take away even more taxes from our country for outsourcing, and our people go hungry.  War?  Really?

"U.S. Militarism Brings Chaos": As Obama Plans a War on ISIS, a Call for...

Susan Robens Photography

As we train foreigners and provide weapons for war, we are creating more chaos into the Middle East Region and spending more of our tax money on the Syrian incursion.  I feel that this is likened to our war into Iraq.  Think about it.  Think about the preparation for the acceptance from American's to go yet into another war and destroy another country.  Oh!  So we can rebuild!  Who benefits?  Ask yourself that question.