NBC told The Washington Post Opinion blog that it would investigate its handling of a piece on the “Today” show that ham-handedly abridged the conversation between George Zimmerman and a dispatcher in the moments before the death of Trayvon Martin. A statement from NBC:
“We have launched an internal investigation into the editorial process surrounding this particular story.”
Great news right there. As exposed by Fox News and media watchdog site NewsBusters, the “Today” segment took this approach to a key part of the dispatcher call:
Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.
Here’s how the actual conversation went down:
Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.
Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?
Zimmerman: He looks black.
The difference between what “Today” put on its air and the actual tape? Complete: In the “Today” version, Zimmerman volunteered that this person “looks black,” a sequence of events that would more readily paint Zimmerman as a racial profiler. In reality’s version, Zimmerman simply answered a question about the race of the person whom he was reporting to the police. Nothing prejudicial at all in responding to such an inquiry.
For more on this story from The Washington Post Erik Wemple opinion blog, please go to:
Tags: Alan Stock, Erik Wemple, George Zimmerman, KDWN, NBC, Newsbusters, The Alan Stock Show, Today, Washington Post
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All this political posturing is really funny to watch. When you step back and see liberals, of which I am one, try our darndest to skew the issue our way and then see our conservative friends hold on to any shred of newsworthy evidence because they fear being labled racist, I really just want to get to the bottom of what really happened. Fact is, if it wasn’t for the tenacious work of Mr. Martin’s mom and dad, Travon would be just another stat. At issue isn’t so much the vigilanteism as the handling of the shooting itself. Somebody invades your “castle”? Fine. Got a gun? Shoot him. I would. But off your proprty? With the police saying “don’t persue”? That, my friends, deserves a trial. And if Mr Zimmerman is found not guilty? Fine. But that’s justice, the American way.
It’s funny. A few years ago there was a case like this in Germany. An immigrant youth from the roiiglen of peace tried to rob a German guy. There was a struggle and during it the cultural enricher fell into his own knife.Within a split second the German guy was declared guilty by the media and certain politicians. People actually protested in the streets against the evil German guy who dared to defend himself against an innocent child who was only threatening him with a knife.Public prosecution later declared that it was a case of justified self defense.Recently there was another case like this. 20-30 immigrant youths from the roiiglen of peace tried to gang up on 2 German guys. In the struggle that followed one of the youths ate his own knife. There were some 3,000 peace lovers at his funeral screaming for blood of the evil German who defended himself. The media and certain politicians have already taken a side. Guess which one. Yeah, not the German’s. Prosecution is already treating it as a justified self defense case as well.Just today I read of a case in Germany, where an 18 year old guy raped, strangled and stabbed an 11 year old girl. And now a writer for the WELT states that this guy is a victim, because he had such a horribly hard childhood.