Arnold Schwarzenegger bats for free press in wake of newsroom shooting incident

In the wake of shooting at the office of a community newspaper in Maryland, veteran action star Arnold Schwarzenegger has come out in support of the media and called the journalists as the "strong allies of our democracy".

The shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, nearly 50 km from Washington, claimed the lives of five people and also injured three others. It was the deadliest day for the US journalism since 9/11 terror attacks.

Taking to Twitter, 70-year-old Schwarzenegger condoled the deaths of the five people, four of whom were journalists.

"Some days, I don't agree with the media. Some days, they are a fantastic sparring partner. But every day, journalists are strong allies of our democracy, shining a light into darkness. My heart goes out to everyone at @capgaznews," the actor tweeted.

Schwarzenegger said he owes his career to the media and lauded the journalists who "put their lives in danger to bring us information".

"I know that my career would have been impossible without the media. But more importantly, journalists put their lives in danger to bring us information - they should never be threatened in their newsrooms. Becoming a digital subscriber to support their work is the least I can do," he added.

The shooter identified as Jarrod Warren Ramos, 38, was today charged with five counts of first-degree murder.

Ramos had previously filed a defamation suit against the newspaper in 2012, court records show.