NBC to do ‘internal investigation’ on Zimmerman segment [NBC edited tape to make him look racist]

Washington Post ^ | March 31, 2012 | Erik Wemple

[grundle]

NBC told this blog today 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.

It’s a falsehood with repercussions. Much of the public discussion over the past week has settled on how conflicting facts and interpretations call into question whether Zimmerman acted justifiably or criminally. That’s a process that’ll continue. But one set of facts in the is ironclad, and that’s the back-and-forth between Zimmerman and the dispatcher. To portray that exchange in a way that wrongs Zimmerman is high editorial malpractice well worthy of the investigation that NBC is now mounting.

[grundle]

Admin Moderator: This was already posted yesterday. But it is of such importance, I hope that you will allow this second posting. Thank you.

[Bodleian_Girl]

It’s been amazing to watch the media completely lie about the event as it unfolded.

[FlingWingFlyer]

NBC! We Make The News The Way We Want It To Be!

[Steely Tom]

Ah yes. The old "internal investigation" gambit. That'll be worthwhile.

Are they going to hire Eliot Spitzer to conduct the "internal investigation." Maybe they can team him up with Dick Thornburgh.

[Eldon Tyrell]

They are “investigating” - someone needs to tell them - um - wrong. Investigation concluded. We are sick of your crap. Go screw off.

[Candor7]

They should be sued for their abuse of the 1st amendment.

[JPG]

Not only is NBC guilty of a humongous lie but it is a lie that is so manifestly obvious that they'll have no easy excuses to make or anywhere to hide.

NB(usted)C

[Lazlo in PA]

I am sure NBC is putting their top guy on this "thorough" investigation.

[sima_yi]

In a related story, Don Vito Corleone announced that the Family’s investigation of itself found no wrongdoing whatsoever.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

You should read some of the comments at the linked article!

[Right Wing Assault]

Final verdict prediction: An unintentional, unfortunate choice of words.

Next case?

[Vince Ferrer]

"Specifically, NBC's contractor did put incendiary devices under the trucks to ensure that there would be a fire if gasoline were released from the truck's gas tank. NBC personnel knew this before we aired the program, but the public was not informed because consultants at the scene told us the devices did not start the fire. We agree with GM that we should have told our viewers about these devices. We acknowledge the placing of incendiary devices under the truck was a bad idea from start to finish.'"

- Jane Pauly, NBC Dateline anchor apologizing for falisifying test data in a GM truck segment in 1993.

We deeply regret we included the inappropriate demonstration in our Dateline report. We apologize to our viewers and to General Motors. We have also concluded that unscientific demonstrations should have no place in hard news stories at NBC. That's our new policy."

- Stone Phillips NBC Dateline anchor apologizing for falisifying test data in a GM truck segment in 1993

[The_Media_never_lie]

To me, this is the biggest story of this year - the complete devolution of the media into a propaganda machine and the obfuscation of the truth.

[Vince Ferrer]

"Last month we reported on Forest Service employees in Idaho's Clearwater National Forest who felt the forest was overcut, causing fouled streams and endangering fish. At one brief point, we inadvertently used footage of dead fish from another forest farther south, not from Clearwater. We also showed workers conducting tests on water in the Clearwater where fish appeared to be dead. In fact, they were not; they had been stunned for testing purposes. And finally, we showed a large area of land that the timber industry claims was burned and not cut. Our information remains that the video accurately portrayed the clearcuts, although some portions may have been cut after a fire. We regret the inappropriate video to illustrate that was otherwise an accurate report."

Tom Brokaw, apologizing for another inaccurate report in 1993

[Psycho_Bunny]

This will turn out like the Killian/Rather documents: the underlying story was “certainly accurate” even though the tape wasn’t.

[navymom1]

Even if Zimmerman had volunteered the race of the individual to the dispatcher, so what. That is the correct way to handle the situation. You need descriptors to identify a suspect. I used to work in Records for a police department. It’s SOP.

[Standing Wolf]

It’s been amazing to watch the media completely lie about the event as it unfolded.

If not for lies, Marxists would have nothing to say.

[bray]

Isn’t that like the mafia doing and internal investigation of itself?

Pray for America

[6SJ7]

Internal investigation is code for “it’ll never see the light of day”.

[mreerm]

words mean things.

look carefully at what NBC is saying:

“We have launched an internal investigation into the editorial process surrounding this particular story.”

...investigating the editorial process that underlies all our reporting, including this particular story???

...investigating the editorial process that permeates our way of doing business, but got away from us this time???

...investigating the editorial process that resulted in a story that drastically miss-represented the real facts???

no

we're gunna self investigate this one story and get back to you

translation = we're gunna spend some inhouse time figuring out how we DIDN'T slip this one by you...fix that so we won't be so blatant in the future...and concoct a story that let's this blatant attempt to manipulate the narrative slip by too...it's what we do