Growing response to Maryland newspaper shooting: 'Subscribe to your local newspaper'

Cindy Arboleda


Following the deaths of five newspaper employees at the hands of a shooter in the newsroom of the Annapolis, Md., Capital Gazette on Thursday afternoon, people around the country have been searching for ways to honor victims of the tragedy. One positive idea has come out of Twitter, where some users are asking followers to keep the legacy of journalism alive by subscribing to, or at least buying a copy of, their local paper.

Here’s how people are honoring the<em> Capital Gazette</em> victims. (Photo: AP/Patrick Semansky)
Here’s how people are honoring the Capital Gazette victims. (Photo: AP/Patrick Semansky)

Writer Matt Ford of the New Republic tweeted, “A small but meaningful response to the Capital Gazette tragedy would be to subscribe to a similar local newspaper in your area, wherever that may be.” His tweet quickly racked up over 3,000 likes and 1,000 comments.

Many of his Twitter followers supported the sentiment.

Other people are also joining in by calling for subscribing to local newspapers in remembrance of the victims and survivors and in support of this country’s freedom of the press.

Some of the tweets have specifically mentioned the unsung work of community newspapers and of local journalists.

While a representative of the Baltimore Sun (the Capital Gazette’s parent company) tells Yahoo Lifestyle that the paper has not yet seen an increase in subscriptions, hopefully a wave of new subscribers is on its way, to the Gazette and other local papers across the country.

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