Domestic violence and fatal vehicle accidents clog my emails and hurt my heart

However, there is also the other end of that spectrum. Reporting on the things happening in our towns that we would rather turn our eyes and ears away from.

Just yesterday a website for one of the mastheads I work across had three very nasty motor vehicle accidents online within hours of each other, and one of them was a fatality.

When I trawl through my inbox, which includes police alerts from across the state, I get a snapshot look at the same things happening in post codes all over NSW.

This can take a toll on a person - even if they're a journalist and this is their job.

Part of my job is to read what's happening in our neighbouring regions, and the stories coming out of our court system right now are chilling.

Paedofiles, sadistic murders, domestic abusers, knife attacks, kids making mistakes when high on drugs.

I think having children changed not only the way I report, but also the way these news reports hit me.

These days I can't help but put myself in the shoes of the victims, their families and loved ones. I've always had empathy, but it sits differently now.

Perhaps the fact that I'm dwelling on this means that this week has been a rough one pretty much everywhere. And it's a reminder that we need to be careful of one another.

Take care of your neighbour, pull over if you feel tired on the road, and if you think someone is in danger, act.

I personally want to put a bubble of protection around my children and keep them within that for the rest of their lives, but I know that I can't do this.

I suspect I'm not the only one whose heart is being hurt by all these daily reports. That I'm not alone in wanting to see less of these sorts of stories.

But hiding from the news isn't the answer either. We have to be aware, informed, and then we have to be part of the change.

It's the only way my inbox will ever look any different. And perhaps it's the way we keep our children safe, so that they can grow up and have a future of their own.

- Sally Foy, acting editor