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Media botches Trayvon Martin coverage [nails DBM, PMSNBC, Sharpton etc...]
Arkansas Times ^ | April 25, 2012 | Gene Lyons

Posted on 05/01/2012 8:07:34 AM PDT by kevcol

I was also leery of journalists and TV personalities like Al Sharpton and his MSNBC colleagues setting up as prosecutor, judge and jury. Even if you didn't know about Sharpton's previous misadventures — he became famous due to his outrageous conduct during the 1987 Tawana Brawley rape hoax — the network's permitting him to report about a public event in which he'd enrolled as an active participant violated every known rule of journalistic ethics.

-snip-

A festival of bad reporting, speculation and mind-reading from the outset, the Zimmerman-Martin affair has turned into a classic example of what University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls a "consensual hallucination."

-snip-

Needless to say, no corrections were forthcoming. Instead fresh outrage was manufactured over murky video footage of Zimmerman being led into police headquarters in handcuffs, seemingly unmarked after being treated by EMS technicians.... Not only the Rev. Sharpton, but Big Ed, Lawrence O'Donnell and their guests repeatedly portrayed it as the linchpin of their case. Zimmerman had clearly lied about Trayvon assaulting him. Therefore there was no self-defense. Case closed.

So when ABC News published a contemporaneous photo of Zimmerman with blood streaming from two wounds on the back of his head on the day of his bail hearing, a naïve observer might have imagined that an attitude adjustment might be in order. No chance. Sharpton ignored the photos altogether; the rest gave them short shrift

(Excerpt) Read more at arktimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: alsharpton; blackcrime; corruption; democrats; dncmedia; enemedia; fraud; georgezimmerman; liberalmedia; mediabias; sharpton; trayvon; trayvonmartin; zimmerman
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Nice critique of the DBM coverage of this case from the onset. Also, Matt Gutman, a local reporter, fueled the escalation of the shooting in the beginning by actively encouraging an online petition for "action" and by making tweets such as these (LINK):

"Sanford FL neighborhood watch captain who shot 17 yr old teen bc he was black, wore hoodie walking slowly, likely not 2 be arrested"

"@WoodenFunk #Trayvon wow, I was just going to ask Jess if there were any petitions. Shocking this has not. Picked up more traction."

Here are some of matt Gutman's "news" stories posted on the local ABC site:

"George Zimmerman Video Shows Little Evidence of a Broken Nose, Doctor Claims"
"Trayvon Martin Video Shows No Blood or Bruises on George Zimmerman"
"Trayvon Martin Investigator Wanted Manslaughter Charge"
"Orlando Watch Shooting Probe Reveals Questionable Police Conduct"

another activist "reporter" who needs to be fired last week.
1 posted on 05/01/2012 8:07:43 AM PDT by kevcol
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To: kevcol
I also believed, as I've written, that "untrained individuals like Zimmerman have no business packing heat,

Any other amendments you'd rather "believe" other people shouldn't have? How about the 1st one?

2 posted on 05/01/2012 8:15:24 AM PDT by Malsua
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To: kevcol

“another activist “reporter” who needs to be fired last week.”

Or arrested for inciting violence...


3 posted on 05/01/2012 8:17:06 AM PDT by piytar (The predator-class is furious that their prey are shooting back.)
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To: kevcol

There are no rules of journalistic ethics being observed of any kind whatsoever...especially with stories in furtherance of the liberal agenda and/or some protected class.


4 posted on 05/01/2012 8:17:34 AM PDT by PBRSTREETGANG
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To: Malsua

Yah, the author of the article Gene Lyons is a big time lib which makes the article itself that much more surprising.


5 posted on 05/01/2012 8:21:13 AM PDT by kevcol
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To: kevcol

Is this the Gene Lyings of Clintoon fame, he must have fell and hit his head.


6 posted on 05/01/2012 8:22:07 AM PDT by razorback-bert (Some days it's not worth chewing through the straps.)
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To: kevcol

“with blood streaming from two wounds on the back of his head on the day of his bail hearing,”

Wow! Beaten again on the day of his hearing?
Stimpy Sharpton doesn’t know when to shut up, and doesn’t care, as truth is not his objective. Is Ren Jackson layin’ low? Haven’t heard much from him lately. He’s a bit smarter then Stimoy.


7 posted on 05/01/2012 8:24:37 AM PDT by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ( Ya can't pick up a turd by the clean end!)
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To: kevcol
From the article:

"The cops took Zimmerman downtown, grilled him for hours, collected the physical evidence, canvassed for witnesses and filed an affidavit recommending he be charged with manslaughter.

No.

The nonsense about Detective Chris Serino filing an affidavit recommending that Zimmerman be charged with manslaughter is false although it continues to be repeated. The City of Sanford issued a statement saying it was false. Chris Serino stated it was false and said on March 16: ""The best evidence we have is the testimony of George Zimmerman, and he says the decedent was the primary aggressor in the whole event. Everything I have is adding up to what he says."

What happened is that all events like this must be categorized for reporting to the FBI. There's not a category for 'justifiable manslaughter because of self-defense or application of a state's Stand Your Ground law.' There's only a category for 'manslaughter.' That's how this shooting was categorized (consider that the next time you read FBI statistics).

The source of the story that Serino wanted to charge Zimmerman was . . . Tracy Martin.

8 posted on 05/01/2012 8:25:37 AM PDT by Scoutmaster (You knew the job was dangerous when you took it)
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To: Scoutmaster
The source of the story that Serino wanted to charge Zimmerman was . . . Tracy Martin.

Correcting myself. First, Tracy Martin to the media, claiming Serino told her that in a conversation. Then, Martin family attorney Benjamin "Who Needs the Truth" Crump in a letter to the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Serino and the City of Sanford continue to say Serino never said that nor gave such an affidavit.

9 posted on 05/01/2012 8:28:48 AM PDT by Scoutmaster (You knew the job was dangerous when you took it)
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To: Malsua
Any other amendments you'd rather "believe" other people shouldn't have? How about the 1st one?

It would seem that the First Amendment is responsible for a lot more death and mayhem in this case than the Second Amendment.

10 posted on 05/01/2012 8:29:34 AM PDT by Haiku Guy ("The problem with Internet Quotes is that you never know if they are real" -- Abraham Lincoln)
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To: PBRSTREETGANG
"journalist ethics"

This story is the epitome of sensationalist reporting and stands as an archtype example of leftist media bias. You'd think these scoundrels would have learned their lesson, but they just couldn't help themselves. But they never do learn their lesson. They thought they had a leadpipe cinch case of a racist white murdering an totally innocent black child just because he, the child, was black. Then as the story develops, and as it turns out, not only did the media get story almost 100% wrong, it turns out the racist white involved is not only not a typical white person, he's part black and hispanic.

Rest assured, all the usual suspects in this farce will keep on with the racist-white-murdering-an-innocent-black-child story for as long as they can. Because above all they're shameless. And they're probably hoping for similar story to happen soon so they can keep going with the America Is A Racist Hellhole meme.

11 posted on 05/01/2012 8:34:18 AM PDT by driftless2
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To: Scoutmaster
>>First, Tracy Martin to the media, claiming Serino told her that in a conversation.<<

Small correction to your otherwise excellent posts on this subject. Tracy Martin was Trayvon's dad. :-)

12 posted on 05/01/2012 8:39:07 AM PDT by Aunt Polgara
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To: kevcol

While this is not as bad as many stories in the MSM but it still stinks. Zimmerman is accused of being stupid and overzealous for carrying a gun in his “Neighborhood” watch capacity. I strongly disagree. Had it not been for the gun it would be Zimmerman on a slab in the morgue, a forever unsolved murder.

It is horrible for a 17 year old kid to lose his life. He only lost his life because of his own actions. His crying parents were more than partially to blame for the situation. A kid on his third suspension this year and the last one for drugs. What parent in their right mind lets a 17 year old out at night when he is under a school suspension and having been caught with a bunch of jewelry and burglary tools?

Zimmerman recently caught a young black man burglarizing the complex and held him for the police. He was doing his neighbors a favor watching out for them. Zimmerman was a good man, freely helping underprivileged minority kids.

While Martin is dead he has not been treated unfairly except by his parents. He got what he asked for. Zimmerman on the other hand has been treated unfairly. He was looking out for his neighbors, got sucker punched by Martin, and gets sucker punched again by the Media and the local Prosecutor.

Our society is being turned upside down. Zimmerman should be a community hero and Martin recognized for the thug he wanted to be.


13 posted on 05/01/2012 8:40:39 AM PDT by JAKraig (Surely my religion is at least as good as yours)
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To: kevcol

Botched? No, that would assume the press is interested in the truth. The press is only interested in political results and they did not botch that at all, they got the results they wanted, at least so far ie. zim arrested on trumped up charges, and increased racial tensions including a few white people already beaten to a pulp “for Trayvon.”

We will see what happens with the trial.


14 posted on 05/01/2012 8:41:01 AM PDT by HerrBlucher
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To: Scoutmaster

Wow!

I was unaware of this information, thanks kindly.


15 posted on 05/01/2012 8:43:37 AM PDT by chris37 (Heartless.)
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To: kevcol
Gene Lyons is trying to walk back his membership and participation in a race card Main Stream Media lynching provoking mob rule over rule of law in America. Trying to take a lifeboat for himself and his credibility off a sinking ship while leaving American civil society behind.

Whatta guy!

16 posted on 05/01/2012 8:57:04 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it and the law is what WE say it is.)
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To: Aunt Polgara
Tracy Martin was Trayvon's dad.

So true. The dad who listened to the cries for help on the 911 tapes and told the police that it was not his son, Trayvon.

17 posted on 05/01/2012 8:58:44 AM PDT by Scoutmaster (You knew the job was dangerous when you took it)
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To: chris37
I was unaware of this information, thanks kindly.

My pleasure. I need to organize my links so I can find more. Since the beginning of this, I've tried to trace the source of statements from both sides to find out the original source of the statements and to determine whether they're true.

For example, I've pointed out on numerous occasions to posters that the source of "Trayvon Martin weighed 200 pounds" and "Trayvon Martin punched a bus driver in the face" were, respectively, false and spotty.

In this case, here's an Orlando Sentinel link. I know I have a few others, including the City of Sanford letter. I just need to find them among my Martin/Zimmerman bookmarks.

Details on filing for FBI statistics and denial of Serino affidavit

18 posted on 05/01/2012 9:05:32 AM PDT by Scoutmaster (You knew the job was dangerous when you took it)
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To: Scoutmaster
and "Trayvon Martin punched a bus driver in the face" were, respectively, false and spotty.

IIRC, Trayvon's brother(?) tweeted in response to learning about the incident. How can you be so sure its false?
19 posted on 05/01/2012 9:12:48 AM PDT by kevcol
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To: Malsua
Almost all so called modern Journalists say that they want to make a difference, in other words they are admitted propagandists. What we need are reporters who gather facts and present them without embellishment. The somewhat hidden knowledge movie “Deadline USA” was all about that back in the 50s when the commies were taking over the schools of journalism and the news media.
20 posted on 05/01/2012 9:31:25 AM PDT by fella ("As it was before Noah, so shall it be again.")
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