What does it mean for news to be “breaking?”

Do “news bulletins” hurt?

On Monday, Dec. 16, within minutes of bullets piercing the fragile human bodies of students and teachers at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, the news of a school shooting here began to break the city’s fragile complacency.

Although the shooting stopped quickly, when the kid with the gun ended her suffering with one of her bullets, after having inflicted death, injury, and incalculable pain on others, the breaking news bulletins continued.

As Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said across several press conferences, “everyone” was targeted by the girl with the gun, and nearly everyone here, across wildly different degrees of connection to the school, feels the impact.

That “everyone” includes lawyers and judges.

Like the rest of us, lawyers and judges and other administrative professionals heard the breaking news from many sources: in texts from loved ones spreading the alarm before it became “news;” from their children, their friends, their colleagues; from social media alerts; from the organizations in which they serve the public; from their own security teams; and, of course, from news outlets. Word of the damage caused by the girl’s bullets continued to expand with every breaking news bulletin, including as these reached lawyers and judges and their families and teams.

Such a devastating event affects everyone differently. For some, the event itself elevates personal vulnerability and fear, cutting through the well-practiced status shields of lawyers and judges who may have close connections with children or educators.

For others, the​ breaking news bulletins about the event open old wounds from other incidents, old cases, previous victims and defendants served, or loved ones lost in sudden or horrific ways.

For all of us who care about communities, about peace, mental health, and the challenges to girls growing up in this particular moment, the pain feels not only psychic but also visceral. It hurts.

Some attorneys and victim-witness professionals began responding to this tragic incident within the first hour. More will be directly involved in various capacities as time goes on.

From a mental health perspective, it’s important to recognize that collective trauma and grief don’t spare attorneys and judges. It’s OK not to be OK when news bulletins break through our usual armor. It’s OK to ask for space to grieve, decompress, process, assimilate, and recover.

It’s OK to Not Be OK

For those of us who serve others to do our work well, we must make sure we do not become additional emotional casualties of the brokenness at the root of a devastating incident. If you need support as you work through the impact of this school shooting on yourself, your loved ones, your practice, your courtroom, or your community, please consider reaching out to the State Bar of Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP).  Learn more about WisLAP.

Breaking news does not have to break you. We’re here to help.

This article was originally published in the The Lawyer's Journey blog of the State Bar of Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP). WisLAP offers confidential support, consultations, and education related to mental health and wellness for lawyers.