The story is still developing out of Moneta, VA, where a reporter and cameraman at central Virginia's WDBJ TV were shot and killed on live TV while doing an interview at a local mall. Also, how do you know when it’s time to leave a perfectly good job? Then, the survival show, "Naked and Afraid," has paid off with an Emmy nom this year for Outstanding Unstructured Reality program.
Why Moneta shooting is reminding many Southern Californians of Chris Dorner
The story is still developing out of Moneta, VA, where a reporter and cameraman at central Virginia's WDBJ TV were shot and killed on live TV while doing an interview at a local mall.
The suspect is former WDBJ newsman Vester Flanagan, who used the air name Bryce Williams. He is still in critical condition, after reportedly shooting himself after being confronted by officers just off Interstate 66.
A person tweeting under the suspect’s name posted comments about the two victims and video of the shootings taken from the shooter's perspective.
The posts began with comments apparently aimed at reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward - "Alison made racist comments," "EEOC report filed," "They hired her after that??," "Adam went to HR on me after working with me one time!!!," "I filmed the shooting see Facebook."
The next posting was video of the shooting from the shooter's perspective, which KPCC has decided not to post online or broadcast. Twitter suspended the account minutes later.
It’s difficult to recall a time when social media has been used this sway in real time. It has not been confirmed that Vester Flanagan, aka Bryce Williams, was tweeting while being pursued by police. But it would be an elaborate fabrication if it's someone else using his account.
Regardless, it’s not possible yet talk about this with certainty. ABC News says that between last night and this morning the network received a 23-page fax from someone who claimed to be Bryce Williams. ABC News isn't sharing the contents of the document but says it turned it over to law enforcement.
The combination of the 23-page fax and the disgruntled worker are reminding many in California of the shooting rampage carried out by Chris Dorner, a disgruntled former LAPD officer, who fatally shot 4 people and then himself in a series of shootings that led to a prolonged manhunt in February of 2013.
What are the red flags and psychological profiles of workplace violence? And with such instant media access, how does more traditional broadcast media, and Twitter, weigh decisions to replay such terrible acts of violence?
Guests:
Joel Dvoskin, a board certified forensic psychologist and a senior psychologist with the Threat Assessment Group, a Newport Beach-based firm that works with Fortune 200 companies on workplace violence prevention. He is based in Tucson, Az.
Jane Kirtley, professor of media ethics and law at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota
But first, let me take a ballot selfie: Free speech debate rises from NH court decision
Should you be allowed to take a picture with your ballot?
Up until recently the practice has been banned thanks to laws protecting voter secrecy, but those laws were written at a time when smartphones didn’t exist.
A recent decision from a federal court in New Hampshire struck down the state’s ban on ‘ballot selfies,’ photos of people posing with their ballots in voting booths, and created a new discussion over whether showing marked ballots is a form of free speech protected by the 1st Amendment.
Those who support the ruling say that taking a photo with one’s ballot is a Constitutionally-protected form of political expression. Opponents say the ruling could open up a new wave of vote buying and voter coercion.
Do you agree with the New Hampshire court’s ruling? Should ballot selfies be protected by the Constitution?
YOU CAN JOIN THE CONVERSATION WITH US VIA TWITTER UNDER THE HASHTAG #BALLOTSELFIES
Guests:
Michael P. McDonald, associate professor of political science at the University of Florida and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is also director of The Election Project, an online resource for information and statistics on the U.S. electoral system.
Rick Hasen, chancellor’s professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine. He also writes the Election Law Blog
It’s a sport! It’s theater! It’s just awesome! The resurgence of professional wrestling
For many guys growing up, pro-wrestling is something they watched and enjoyed but grew out of by the time they hit, say, 13.
But pro-wrestling is enjoying a renaissance of sorts in the US, led by the popularity of the World Wrestling Entertainment, a media company devoted to the sport. About 41 percent of WWE’s viewers are young men – the coveted 18-34 demographic that advertisers want.
Other indications also point to pro-wrestling’s slow but certain entry into the American mainstream. ESPN carried its first-ever live broadcast from a WWE event on Sunday, hosted by none other than funnyman Jon Stewart.
What’s bringing audiences back to pro-wrestling? What’s the history of the sport in the US? Are you a fan of pro-wrestling, call and let us know why.
Guests:
David Shoemaker, contributing writer covering pro wrestling for Grantland, and author of “The Squared Circle: Life, Death, and Pro Wrestling” (Gotham, 2013) and co-hosts the pro-wrestling podcast “Cheap Heat”
Emmy 2015 Unstructured Reality: 'Naked and Afraid' producers fearless in the field
The Discovery channel's bold launch of the unique survival show, "Naked and Afraid," has paid off as a ratings success, a trend-setter, and an Emmy nomination this year for Outstanding Unstructured Reality program.
In the one-hour, primetime, cable show, complete strangers - one woman and one man - are challenged to survive the world's most extreme environments, all in the buff. As is the case with other survivalist shows, producers find remote locations with barely enough water, scant food sources, and tough weather conditions - except instead of participants fighting to eliminate each other, they try to help each other survive for 21 days.
Viewers learn about survival techniques, gender dynamics, and personal endurance. The crew themselves endure swampland, wild jungles, and desert scarcity that have led to a near-fatal snake bite and other dangerous encounters.
AirTalk is taking a deeper look at this year's Emmy category of Unstructured Reality, and we have two show-runners of "Naked and Afraid," Stephen Rankin and Mathilde Bittner, in studio to divulge more about the casting process, the blurring process, and the limits of human endurance in the wild. Which locations presented the greatest obstacles? What have they learned about human nature? Why didn’t the producers dangerous encounters spur them to “tap out?”
Guests:
Stephen Rankin, Emmy-nominated Executive Producer of Discovery’s “Naked and Afraid”
Mathilde Bittner, Emmy-nominated Co-Executive Producer of Discovery’s “Naked and Afraid”