Je suis Charlie – not Kirby Delauter

This was my column for Jan. 11, 2015. Won a little award. Thought I should post it to my blog so I could hang onto it. I submitted three columns, and there was one about my summer in Oregon that I was sure would be the winner, but this one got it instead. Go figure.

Georgia Press Association awards aside, I still feel strongly about this.

Behold...my column...

Journalists all over the globe chuckled collectively this week at Twitter's latest punching bag – Kirby Delauter.
It seems that Delauter, an elected official in Fredrick County, Md., threatened to sue a reporter at the Frederick News-Post who had used his name in a story without his permission. He posted his comments on social media, sparking a response from the reporter, who not only owned her action, but said she'd do it again. And again. And again. Why? Because it's her responsibility to the community her newspaper serves to do so. I stood up and applauded when I read that.
The editorial that followed, well, mentioned his name an awful lot. And it went, as you might imagine, viral. 
Delauter later apologized, admitting that it is indeed the right of the paper to use his name in any article, saying "it comes with the job."
I'm betting this epiphany came immediately after – possibly during – a conversation with his attorney.
And just like with anything else the people who live in Facebook Land or in the Twitterverse find funny, Delauter became fodder for an endless stream of memes. I have enjoyed every single one of them. I mean, come on. That stuff's funny right there, I don't care who you are. 
Google it. You'll see what I mean.
I echo the sentiment of the young lady whose story mentioned Delauter (just twice by the way). It is our responsibility to report on the actions of our elected officials. And it's their responsibility to be aware that this is the case. How can you be in any kind of office and think that your name is that off limits?
As an elected official, Delauter should have known that journalists can and will use his name in the media. Just because a person doesn't want to see his or her name in print does not negate the First Amendment. 
In the wake of this ridiculousness, a series of truly heinous acts took place. Two gunmen entered the offices of Paris newspaper Charlie Hebdo and killed 11 people. All because those people had exercised their rights as journalists. A policeman was murdered as the duo escaped. On Thursday, a policewoman was shot and killed, and a street sweeper was shot – the shootings were linked to the Charlie Hebdo incident. On Friday, there was a shootout between the gunmen and police, and one of the suspects took hostages in a grocery store. French special forces stormed each of the places where the terrorists were located and killed them, and freed several hostages. In the end, 12 people were dead and many more were critically injured.
Four cartoonists from Charlie Hebdo were killed because they drew cartoons that radicals didn't want to see in print. 
Sound familiar? Of course, these two incidents are worlds apart. But what's at the heart of the matter isn't so different. 
People everywhere have latched onto the viral sentiment "Je Suis Charlie" – French for "I am Charlie."
The bigger picture is this: if this causes journalists all over the globe to censor themselves because of fear, then the Charlie Hebdo terrorists – and all who think like them – will have won. Freedom will be lost. This cannot happen.
We cannot be afraid to stand up and report the news. We cannot be afraid to poke those in power a bit and hold them accountable. We must not be afraid to stand up for what is right. In the end, we must all be Charlie. 
And not Kirby Delauter.