Wood had been reporting a story on Divine Strake, the 700-ton explosion of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil that the federal government is trying to detonate at the Nevada Test Site.

After the story, the station flashed the "Commentary" sign and Wood said his piece.

And, he has been blasted ever since by a bunch who call themselves journalists.

Now, if in my obit you see the word "journalist," be sure that somehow I will reach from beyond the grave and strangle whoever wrote that.

What's a journalist? Somebody who makes an entry in a diary, which is far different from the actions of a newsperson.

Wood, from what I have seen over the years, is a dedicated newsman.

That he would offer a commentary is not as unusual as some would have you believe. In small-market Utah and other places, there are newspeople who also offer opinion pieces, whether in the form of editorial writing or columns. Doing so does not compromise the credibility or ethics of the reporter.

As a matter of fact, I'd rather see a column written or read/hear an opinion by somebody who has reported on a subject than some hired gun who comes in shooting without any background.

And, there are also times when it is a reporter's duty to go beyond the confines of a straight story and report on what they see and believe. We have done that with our reporters here and I honestly have not seen it compromise our coverage.

It also displays a very important side of Wood -- that, at heart, he is a living, breathing human being with personal concerns.

The moment a reporter begins to lose that touch with humanity is the moment they should quit the business.

You cannot walk away from the scene of a tragedy without taking some of the pain with you. In this business, there are things that you see that are life-changing, emotional, traumatic. There are also things you learn about that could harm those around you in some way.

Are we to keep those things to ourselves?

An emphatic no.

So, courage, Terry.

You owe nobody an apology for being a thoughtful, caring human being.