The Aug. 27th front page of the New York Daily News, which displays the murder of two TV journalists in Virginia, was met with shock and condemnation on social media late Wednesday.
Readers were particularly dismayed that the newspaper tabloid published the graphic images of the attack that were uploaded by the shooter.
WARNING: Graphic image.
The point-of-view stills were taken from a video recorded by the suspected gunman as he murdered his former colleagues, a reporter and a cameraman from WDBJ7. He ambushed the journalists on Wednesday morning while they were interviewing Vicki Gardner, executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce, in Moneta, Virginia. Footage of the attack was also broadcast live by the station.
The suspect, Vester Lee Flanagan, waited until reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were filming their live shot before opening fire and killing them. Flanagan allegedly recorded the attack using a body-camera, then fled the scene. He later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say.
Gardner, who was shot in the back during the attack, was recovering in the hospital Wednesday night following surgery.
A Twitter account associated with Flanagan tweeted, "I filmed the shooting see Facebook," where the video was posted. The body-cam video showed him waiting for the journalists to begin taping, and then shooting them.
His Facebook and Twitter accounts were later suspended.
While news organizations were free to make the call on showing images and videos of the slaying that were widely circulated online, most did not, given their graphic content. But the Daily News, which is known for its shocking coverage of events, went there, and many readers condemned the tabloid's decision.