My beautiful daughter Alison, a journalist for WDBJ7 in Roanoke, VA was murdered on live television in 2015. For years now, I have been fighting Google to remove the video of her murder from YouTube. Google, along with Facebook and Instagram are protected from any liability thanks to a law called Section 230 for which the only exception is for copyright violation. I appeared on 60 Minutes on January 3rd and described how my life has been affected by Google's ongoing injurious practice. As I said in my interview, Google's original motto was "Don't be evil". Now, they are the personification of just that.
Equally as immoral is Gray Television, a media conglomerate with major network affiliates across the country. In late 2015 Gray purchased WDBJ and now owns the copyright to that infamous video. My legal team at Georgetown University Law has asked Gray repeatedly for co-copyright use that would enable us to sue Google for damages. A co-copyright agreement would in no way subject Gray to any legal liability. We cannot legally compelled them, only ask that they do the right thing. Until 230 is repealed, it's our only recourse to hold Google accountable.
Sadly, Gray repeatedly either refuses or ignores our pleas to grant this request, cynically offering only a worthless usage license--useful only if we wanted to re-broadcast Alison's murder. As pernicious as Google is, Gray is worse. I seek your help and ask that you beseech Gray to do the decent thing and provide me the means to bring a modicum of justice to these sociopaths who endanger lives and democracy while monetizing murder videos.
Thanks for your help!
Andy Parker
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