Milwaukee TV Stations Suspend Live Shots After Virginia Newscast Shooting

A Roanoke police cruiser keeps vigil in front of the studios of WDBJ-TV7 in Roanoke, Va., Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015, a day after reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward from the station were killed during a liv... A Roanoke police cruiser keeps vigil in front of the studios of WDBJ-TV7 in Roanoke, Va., Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015, a day after reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward from the station were killed during a live broadcast Wednesday. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) MORE LESS
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Two Milwaukee local news stations will suspend the use of live shots after the on-air deaths of two journalists in Virginia, according to Milwaukee media writer Duane Dudek.

News directors for WTMJ-TV and WISN-TV said they would, at least temporarily, cut back on the practice out of consideration for the safety of their employees.

“Out of an abundance of caution we are not planning any discretionary live field reports from the field today,” WTMJ-TV’s Janet Hundley wrote in a memo to the newsroom, adding that in the case of breaking news, “we will discuss our options.”

In an email, WISN-TV’s Chris Gegg said that the channel was suspending live shots “out of caution, and sensitivity to our employees.”

“The safety of our staff members, especially our reporters, photographers, and newsroom engineers in the field, is always at the top of our minds,” he said.

Alison Parker, a reporter for Roanoke, Virginia’s WDBJ-TV7 and her cameraman Adam Ward were shot and killed by a disgruntled coworker during a live morning broadcast from a local waterpark Wednesday.

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