Following the dramatic announcement late Sunday night that the U.S. had killed Osama bin Laden, New York’s WNBC stayed in breaking news mode long after Brian Williams signed off for NBC, as impromptu celebrations sprouted up across the city.

Shiba Russell, who joined the station in February, led WNBC’s coverage of the historic occasion as Ida Siegal reported live near Ground Zero, where thousands of New Yorkers had gathered to celebrate the death of a man who, nearly ten years ago, drastically altered life in the city.

The networks scrambled to cover the news on Sunday night, providing some memorable moments as well as a few intriguing sidebars for TV newsers. NBC seemed by far the best prepared for the event, with Williams quickly assuming his anchor chair and leading the network’s starting lineup of Andrea Mitchell, Chuck Todd, and Richard Engel. Katie Couric, who recently announced that she’s leaving CBS, was noticeably missing from the network’s coverage Sunday night as Lara Logan appeared with anchor Russ Mitchell shortly after her moving “60 Minutes” interview aired. Over on ABC, George Stephanopoulos was at the anchor desk, leaving one to ponder exactly what time he gets to work everyday for his “GMA” job.

In the end, though, it was WNBC’s coverage that was the most memorable as the NBC flagship was the only network affiliated station in New York to provide live, local coverage of the news that obviously bears special significance for the city. Read more

Mark Kraham, RTDNA chairman and the news director of WHAG in Hagerstown, MD, has written an open letter addressing the dangers that journalists have encountered in the past several weeks, both domestically and in places like Egypt and Bahrain.

He condemns the censorship that is present in countries such as Libya and Yemen and, mentioning the troubling attack on CBS’s Lara Logan, champions the perseverance and resolve that journalists have exhibited while covering breaking news in Egypt and elsewhere.

Here’s an excerpt:

As is true with all news managers, there’s always a concern for the personal safety of your staff. With the recent events in Egypt and other volatile locations, I am left pondering where the balancing point is in keeping journalists safe while telling a full, unmitigated story.

Even on the local level, journalists are subject to covering an array of stories that put them in real danger: fires, crashes, police stand-offs, demonstrations, hurricanes, earthquakes. The list is vast and presents hundred of questions resembling:

“How close to the fire or standoff is too close for the journalist’s safety?” or, “Is walking among protesters going to be safe for the journalist?” Read more