I expect to wake up to big news on some days.
But in the past four months, I have woken up twice to heavier news than I’ve been prepared for: that acquaintances of mine — UNC students — had died.
David Shannon, who died in October, was a good friend to many of my friends.
Stedman Gage, who died Friday, was my roommate freshman year.
The shock that follows these moments triggers the dual role I occupy as a journalist — required to collect and publicize troubling details while also feeling an emotional toll. This toll is slight in comparison to the grief of friends and family, but it exists nonetheless.
And it complicates the duty of turning tragedy into news, which might on its face seem crass or manipulative, especially to those still afflicted by the wounds that come from losing a friend, brother, sister, son or daughter.
But I’ve found telling the stories of the dead and bereaved to be among the most important things a journalist can do for a community that is frightened or grieving.
This academic year, the student body has been presented with the disturbing task of mourning four of its own. Grief has touched much of the student body, including the staff of this newspaper.
In the case of each death, I was able to stay removed as I first sought to recover every detail and provide an honest portrayal of each person in the form of an obituary.