Reporter Is OK After Being Shot In Louisiana

St. Petersburg Times reporter Marcus Franklin was shot Monday night while on assignment in Louisiana to cover Hurricane Katrina.

Franklin, 34, was driving in Baton Rouge about 11:30 p.m. when he stopped at an intersection and a man approached his vehicle, Times Managing Editor Stephen Buckley said.

The man apparently asked for money and then fired into Franklin's vehicle as he tried to drive away, Buckley said.

Franklin was taken to Baton Rouge General Hospital, where doctors decided against removing the bullet.

He was treated and released Tuesday, then flown back to St. Petersburg by the newspaper.

Franklin, a general assignment reporter, has been with the newspaper about three years.

He arrived in the battered Gulf Coast region last week.

"The situation was so desperate in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast that I had specifically told them to be careful and to check in with me frequently because I was concerned about their safety," said Tom Scherberger, Times state editor, who is coordinating hurricane coverage.

"The last conversation I had had with him, we actually discussed this very scenario."

Scherberger said it was not known whether Franklin was shot by someone evacuated to Baton Rouge as a result of the storm.

"We're just incredibly relieved that he is OK," Buckley said.

"It's just a reminder that there are a lot of journalists who are putting themselves at risk to tell this story."

The incident is a reminder of how dangerous journalism can be, said Kelly McBride, ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute.

"Journalists show up pretty low in credibility polls," McBride said. "They are ranked down there with car salesmen, and this is a reminder of how important the work is."