Former Spokesman-Review photojournalist Holly Pickett is pictured on the job in Cairo in 2011.

Journalists working in the Middle East and other areas of conflict are increasingly in harm’s way. Two American reporters, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, have been beheaded by the militant group Islamic State in recent weeks. The barbarity is unfathomable. The gruesome nature of the two killings obviously was intended by the perpetrators to prompt shock, intimidate and publicize a cause. Journalists are often close-knit, particularly if they are working in foreign lands and cultures that require a shift in their daily mindsets. One of those journalists, Holly Pickett, has roots in Montana and Spokane. Pickett is a first-rate photographer who worked for The Spokesman-Review for five years before moving to Cairo in January 2008 to begin a career as an overseas journalist/Editor Gary Graham, SR. More here.

Question: When you're bashing the media, do you realize that some put their lives on the line to keep you informed?