Martin Burns, an investigative writer and producer at KTTV, died Sunday in an apparent hiking accident, according to the Los Angeles Fox O&O. He was 56.
“Not a lot of details at this point, all we know right now is that he went for a hike, fell and that was it. In an instant, he was gone,” anchor Araksya Karapetyan (pictured with Burns) wrote on the KTTV website. “…Working with him was incredibly fulfilling — it’s what being a journalist is all about — going out there, digging, researching, doing something for the community, by uncovering abuses in the system and giving the voiceless a voice.”
“He made a personal difference in my professional life every day,” vice president and news director Kingsley Smith wrote. “… He never complained and always worked with grace and dignity. He is on the short list of people that NO ONE ever complained about, ever. I will miss him. This newsroom will miss him. Our viewers will miss him.” [h/t Variety]