National Press Club Press Freedom Team Hosts News Conference On FTC Complaint Against Facebook
News Advisory
Who:
Andy Parker, the father of former WDBJ-TV (Roanoke) Reporter Alison Parker and attorneys for the Georgetown Law Clinic.
What:
News conference to discuss a Federal Trade Commission complaint recently filed against Facebook on Parker’s behalf. The complaint was filed by The Georgetown Law Center, which is representing Mr. Parker on a pro-bono basis. The news conference is being hosted by the Press Freedom Team of the National Press Club.
When:
Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 11 a.m.
Where:
National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW 13th Floor, Washington, DC, 20045
Details:
Andy Parker, the father of slain television journalist Alison Parker has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against Facebook. The complaint raises questions about Facebook’s role in allowing moment-of-death video of Alison Parker’s August 26, 2015 murder to be posted and reposted on the network. The complaint was prepared by Georgetown Law Clinic. Parker will give details of the FTC filing and answer reporters questions at a news conference with details below. Last year, Mr. Parker and Georgetown Law Clinic filed a similar complaint against Google/Youtube, which is pending.
On August 26, 2015 Alison Parker and her cameraman Adam Ward were shot and killed by a gunman while they were conducting a live television interview in Virginia. The video shows the moment of death for Ms. Parker. The Parker family, for obvious reasons, does not want the video to be posted on Facebook or any other platform. Facebook’s response to requests to remove the video have not been adequate as is detailed in the complaint.
At the news conference Mr. Parker and his counsel will discuss their complaint and what they are asking Facebook to do and they will take questions from the press. Mr. Parker has testified before congress on similar issues in the past and expects to testify again in the near future.
About Georgetown Law Clinic
Georgetown University Law Center’s Civil Rights Clinic operates a small not-for-profit law firm representing individual clients who have suffered from discrimination, harassment, or other rights violations. The Clinic also represents several other clients who have been targeted by conspiracy theorists or whose privacy has been invaded by corporate entities.
About Andy Parker
After the murder of his daughter, Andy Parker has become known as a gun-control activist. He has appeared on all the major television networks and cable outlets. He has been a contributor to publications including: The Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, Huffington Post and USA Today. He is a member of the National Press Club and author of "For Alison: The Murder of a Young Journalist and Her Father’s Fight For Gun Safety."
About the National Press Club
Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major journalism organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the United States and around the world.
Contact
John Donnelly, Chair, Press Freedom Team, National Press Club [email protected], 202-650-6738