Philip Bloom “Absolutely horrible horrible news.

Mick Deane, my former colleague at Sky News where I worked for 17 years, was shot and killed whilst covering the violence in Egypt. He was also married and a dad of two.

Mick was an amazing man, really kind and friendly. He was also the perfect news cameraman. A great cameraman and editor and he also knew what was a story and just as important, how to tell it.

Having spent such a long time at Sky News I covered so many stories where our lives became at risk. Often when we didn’t expect it. Naturally in war zones and places like Egypt it is expected and goes with the job. I was lucky. So many friends and colleagues, like Mick were not.

Too many of them have lost their lives bringing us the news, not just the ones I knew of course but the countless others. Never forget whilst watching these reports the risk these men and women take to inform us and make sure stories that need to be told are told.

I for one thank Mick for the all the important stories he has helped shed light on over the years, but most importantly mourn a great man whose life was taken doing the job he loved.

RIP Mick. My thoughts are with your family.”

HDW :  News coverage is never a good place to be as you can become a target yourself, I personally covered many news stories for Scottish Television and was in the cameraman’s “den” when the news editor appeared to ask “who was available to cover a war zone for two weeks” the room went deathly silent then one brave cameraman who was a veteran of such conflicts put himself forward.

You don’t enter war zones lightly and anyone who does is a brave man or woman, you build a psychological wall around the fact that you will be safe, you are the media, we are everyones friend, but more often than not you can also become a target or hit by a stray bullet.

HD Warrior passes on our heart felt condolences to Mick’s family and as a father myself with two boys I know how it feels from both sides.