Andy Parker, father of slain journalist Alison Parker, to announce FTC complaint against Google

Andy Parker, activist, author, and father of slain journalist Alison Parker, will announce a new FTC filing in his case against Google, at a National Press Club Headliners newsmaker event Thursday, February 20 at 10:00 a.m.

Parker’s daughter Alison was 24 years old and working as a journalist with CBS affiliate WDBJ in Roanoke, VA when she was assassinated on live TV by a disgruntled former co-worker. The murderer filmed the killing and then posted that video to YouTube before taking his own life. That video has been viewed and shared tens of thousands of times, with some consumers reposting, editing, and using the video to harass and threaten Parker and his family.

In the four years since the shooting, Parker has attempted to get the videos of his daughter’s murder removed from YouTube. Google, YouTube’s parent company, originally instructed Parker to search for and review each video of his daughter’s death and flag the specific portion of the video that violates the company’s terms and conditions. In more recent communications with Parker and his legal team, Google cited Section 230 of the CDA as grounds to claim that they are not legally required to remove the content.

Parker will be joined by Spencer Myers, Rachel Guy, and Aderson Francois of the Georgetown University Law Center’s Civil Rights Clinic, who represent him in this matter.

This press conference will take place in the Club’s Bloomberg Room, and is open to credentialed media and members of the National Press Club free of charge, with advance registration required. Please email the National Press Club’s Lindsay Underwood to register.