Murdered: Adam Ward & Alison Parker

News reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward were murdered in August of 2015 during a live interview on television. A former colleague shot and killed Parker and Ward at a shopping center in Moneta, Virginia. The pair’s interviewee was also shot, but survived.

Parker, 24, and Ward, 27, both worked at WDBJ7, the CBS affiliate in Roanoke, Virginia.

The video of the incident immediately went viral, the gunman garnering millions of views after sharing it. In addition to sharing the video, the gunman shared a manifesto detailing the reasons he decided to go through with his crime before taking his own life. The shooter’s Twitter profile garnered more than 23,000 followers; and the video itself was compressed into gifs that were shared around the internet.

Both the video itself, as well as images of the manifesto were shared online by credible news organizations as well. The question quickly became whether media coverage of violence can make people more likely to commit murder?

More than three years after the incident Alison’s father Andy Parker has pushed for gun control laws, and fought back against video streaming sites that refuse to remove the video showcasing her death. Alison’s former boyfriend and co-worker, Delegate Chris Hurst, has also introduced legislation that prevents a job candidate from suing employers for sharing information about past violent or threatening behavior (given the circumstances).

Now, the only survivor of the shooting, Vicki Gardner, is suing WDBJ7; seeking $6 million in damages; citing negligence in the station’s hiring process.

https://www.apnews.com/c9ec755f30804a3e88f411d0e75b4ad9-Lawmaker says bill could have prevented girlfriend’s death

‘For Alison’ by Andy Parkerhttps://www.amazon.com/Alison-Murder-Journalist-Fathers-Safety-ebook/dp/B07MF1S3WG

"What to Do When Murder Goes Viral." New Scientist 227.3037 (2015)

Survivor of 2015 on-air shooting sues WDBJ for $6 million

https://www.roanoke.com/news/crime/gardner-shot-and-injured-in-attack-at-bridgewater-plaza-sues/article_959a802e-fe18-57f9-a3e0-c8dcd1240ddb.html

'I loved watching your daughter die' | Father of murdered journalist responds to conspiracy theorists

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/i-loved-watching-your-daughter-die-father-of-murdered-journalist-responds-to-conspiracy-theorists/65-2fa8fce3-7d76-4d4d-9dde-7faa088db4f2

"United States: Murdered Virginia Journalists 'Much More Than What You Saw on TV'." Asia News Monitor (2015): Asia News Monitor, Aug 28, 2015.