GREATER
CINCINNATI SPJ HOSTS VIRTUAL PROGRAM ON
JOURNALISTS
AND STRESS
PROGRAM
BASED ON 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF 1980 HOSTAGE TAKEOVER
OF WCPO-TV BY JAMES HOSKINS
It was October 15, 1980,
when James Hoskins took over WCPO-TV's downtown station and held nine employees
hostage for nearly two hours.
He confessed in a taped interview that he had just killed his girlfriend and wanted a place to shoot it out with police. Cincinnati Police mobilized a SWAT team, surrounded the building at 5th & Central and waited. Hoskins took his own life six hours later.
All nine hostages were released unharmed, but the incident pointed out potential dangers of stress on employees and first responders.
Dealing with stress in 1980 or 2020 with COVID-19 and protests for racial justice is a very real concern for media organizations, police officers and firefighters.
That's why the Greater Cincinnati Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is sponsoring a virtual program on October 15th: "Journalists & Stress -- Coping Mechanisms In Unusual Times." It will run from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom.
PANELISTS INCLUDE:
Dale Menkhaus -- 50 years in law enforcement with Cincinnati Police and Hamilton County Sheriff's Office - Cincinnati Police Department SWAT Team Commander on October 15, 1980
Dr. Kathleen Chard -- Director, UC Mental Health Institute - Director, VA Medical Center Mental Health Center
Tim Geraghty -- WKRC-TV News Director
Mike Canan -- WCPO-TV Senior Director of Local Strategy
Duane Pohlman -- WKRC-TV Chief Investigative Reporter/Anchor
Cara Owsley -- The Cincinnati Enquirer Director of Photography
Moderator - Tom McKee -- Former WCPO-TV Reporter - one of nine hostages on October 15, 1980
You can register on EventBrite -- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/journalists-and-stress-coping-mechanisms-in-unusual-times-tickets-123194625441 -- and a link to enter the Zoom meeting will be sent to you.
Make plans to join us for this important program. Registration is free, but registration is requested.
