Obit

Photo from Zachary Malinowski’s official Twitter account.

Zachary Malinowski, 57

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER Zachary Malinowski died Thursday, August 11, after a long battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He was 57.

Malinowski  was an investigative journalist for the Providence Journal for more than 30 years, covering Rhode Island’s cops and mobsters, street gangs, and public corruption. Prior to this, Malinowski wrote for The Denver Post and the Tempe Daily News.

In 2014, The New England Society of Newspaper Editors awarded Malinowski with a “Master Reporter” award. In the same year, the Society conferred him  the Sevellon Brown New England Journalist of the Year award for his work on “The Cost of a Bullet,” which looked into the tolls of gun violence.

Friends and colleagues paid tribute to the late journalist. The New York Times reporter Dan Barry remembers Malinowski as authority in his field of expertise.  “He just understood how society hangs on the precipice between good and bad… and he explored that more than any other reporter certainly in Rhode Island, but possibly in all of New England,” Barry said. (“Journal investigative reporter Bill Malinowski dies,” ProvidenceJournal.com, August 11, 2016)

Malinowski is survived by his wife and his daughter.

John Saunders, 61

SPORTS BROADCASTER John Saunders died Wednesday, August 10. He was 61.

Saunders was a longtime broadcaster for sports channel ESPN. He covered college football, basketball and the National Hockey League (NHL) for the network. He then served as an anchor to sports news programs Sports Center and Sports Reporter.

Prior to joining ESPN, Saunders was a college hockey athlete. After college, he had short stints in the radio before pursuing a career in television (“John Saunders, GTA-born sports journalist, dead at 61,” CityNews.com, August 10, 2016)

Friends and colleagues mourned the passing of Saunders. ESPN President John Skipper remembered Saunders as a warm reporter who had a genuine passion for both sports and reporting. “John was an extraordinary talent and his friendly, informative style has been a warm welcome to sports fans for decades,” Skipper said (“Longtime ESPN broadcaster John Saunders dies at 61,” USAToday.com, August 10, 2016).

Saunders is survived by his wife and daughters.