Annapolis, MD - County Executive Steuart Pittman's comments on the dedication of the Guardians of the First Amendment Memorial:
"I thought a lot about what t o say today. I needed to sort through a lot of very strong opinions, about t he attack on our newspaper - about the loss of Gerald, Rob, John, Rebecca, and Wendi - about this country’s failure to confront its epidemic of gun violence - about the value of journalism as a profession - about the healthy impact of local newspapers on local government - and about t he means by which Alden Global Capital, our newspaper’s brand new owner, grows the wealth of its investors.
I put many of t hose thoughts in a letter, and I sent it t o Alden’s leaders. I hoped that t hey would join us today.
I hope that they will visit this community soon. I hope that their stockholders hear our story, and work with us to grow, rather than shrink, our newspaper. And if they don’t, I hope that we can find a way to recreate what they take away from us."
