Hogan proclaims day honoring paper’s slain employees

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan issued a proclamation marking June 28 as “Freedom of the Press Day” in honor of the five employees of the Capital Gazette killed in a newsroom shooting two years ago.

“Two years ago today, five Marylanders lost their lives to a heinous and unthinkable act of violence,” the governor said in a statement Sunday. “Today, as we honor those we lost and all who have lost their lives in the pursuit of informing our citizens, we recognize the vital role that the freedom of the press has in our democracy and our duty to honor and protect this most fundamental constitutional right.”

A man with a well-documented history of harassing the Capital Gazette’s journalists pleaded guilty in October to all 23 counts against him in the 2018 newsroom rampage.

Killed were John McNamara, Gerald Fischman, Wendi Winters, Rob Hiaasen and Rebecca Smith.

The proclamation from Hogan comes after state lawmakers unanimously passed a joint resolution last year to name June 28 “Freedom of the Press Day” in Maryland, the newspaper reported.