Journalism: An Emotional Business

I thought I would take time to write about something many may not know. Working in the news business can be an emotional rollercoaster. Much like police officers, we are often the first on the scene, seeing terrible tragedies, and have to report it on the evening news. There's no other way to say it, only that, it can really get to you sometimes.

In June we had a number of celebrities pass away. I actually had the chance to meet Ed McMahon once during an MDA Telethon and take a picture with him, so technically I can't say that I didn't know him. I just didn't know him well. We also lost Farrah and Michael on the same day. It was Friday. We got a bulletin in the newsroom that said "Michael Jackson was hospitalized". That was it. My first thought was "he probably fainted". He seems to push himself to the limit. The next bulletin came about 10 minutes later and it said Michael had a cardiac arrest. My heart sank. I knew it was not going to be good. 10 minutes later, TMZ.com reported that Michael was dead. I was stunned and I believe so emotional from a week already consumed with death. I immediately started texting close friends of mine to tell them the news.

I know that everyone has their own opinions about Michael. I believe he was a true entertainer that spanned so many decades. My little sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters is 15 years old. She was devastated. All of my friends my age...devastated. My 83 year old grandmother...devastated. Michael's music touched so many people's lives. I cried that day for an icon whom we lost so suddenly. May he rest in peace.

That brings me to today. I witnessed a horrible accident on 277 that left me so shaken, I could not bring myself to anchor the news tonight. A tanker of some kind slammed into a pick-up truck, spinning it. It seemed to go right thru it like a train. A child was ejected from the truck and there were maybe 2 adults and 2 more children in the truck screaming. It was all I could do not to break down. But I did anyway. A nice man at the scene moved my truck out of the road across the street into the gas station parking lot. I started crying and he gave me a hug and told me everything would be alright.

My heart hurt so much for this family, for the child I saw lying on the ground. I went to work an emotional wreck and my good friend and boss came to take me home. I bowed my head, closed my eyes and raised my hands in prayer for this family when I got home. Grateful that my own family is safe and sound tonight. Praying that this family will be okay. Realizing that sometimes we all take things for granted, especially life, the most precious thing of all.