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On this day in history, August 26, one of the events reported was a shooting on live TV at WDBJ-TV in Virginia in 2015. A former employee opened fire on his colleagues, killing reporter Alison Parker and videographer Adam Ward, and injuring Vicki Gardner, who was being interviewed at the time. The event occurred seven weeks after Israel and Palestinian militants had agreed to end hostilities that left over 2,000 people dead.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On August 26, a tragic event occurred when a gunman opened fire on live television during an interview at *WDBJ-TV* in Moneta, Virginia. Two journalists, *Adam Ward* and *Alison Parker*, were killed in the shooting. A third victim, *Vicki Gardner*, who was being interviewed, was also shot but survived. The gunman, *Vester Lee Flanagan II*, had previously worked at *WDBJ-TV* before being fired in 2013. He later took his own life after the shooting.
Written for “Shooting at US News Station” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 2550 · logged 2026-08-27
In 1920, eight days after it was ratified, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect -- giving women the right to vote.
asserted
Amendment → ratify → right
In 1964, Democrats nominated U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey.
asserted
Democrats → nominate → Johnson
They won easily in November.
asserted
They → win → November
In 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani was elected the 263rd pope and chose the name John Paul I.
asserted
Luciani → elect → name
He died 33 days later.
asserted
He → die → ?
In 1983, catastrophic flooding in France and Spain destroyed much of the old town of Bilbao, Spain, when the Ria de Bilbao burst its banks.
asserted
Bilbao → destroy → banks
Dozens died.
asserted
Dozens → die → ?
In 1996, a court in South Korea sentenced former President Chun Doo-hwan to death for the coup that put him in power.
asserted
that → sentence → power
Chun's death sentence was commuted in 1997.
asserted
sentence → commute → 1997
In 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed decrees recognizing the independence of Georgia breakaway regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
asserted
Medvedev → sign → regions
Medvedev said granting them independence was an act of necessity and he urged other nations to make similar diplomatic moves.
In 2014, Palestinian militants and Israel agreed to end seven weeks of hostilities that left more than 2,000 people dead.
asserted
that → say → people
The cease-fire was arranged in Egypt.
asserted
fire → arrange → Egypt
In 2015, a former employee of WDBJ-TV in Virginia opened fire on his former colleagues on live television, killing news reporter Alison Parker and videographer Adam Ward.
asserted
employee → open → Parker
Vicki Gardner, who was being interviewed at the time of the shooting, was injured.
asserted
who → interview → shooting
In 2021, a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport killed more than 180 people, including 13 U.S. service members working to evacuate people as the United States withdrew from the Afghanistan War.
asserted
States → kill → War
