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NBC News distorts Zimmerman 911 call

Grant said:
As an editor yourself you must know how important it is to name your sources. Ergo, could you please name those who said NBC had "a secret desire to enflame racial strife or forward liberal causes."?
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Several in this very thread.

It doesn't matter what my job was or your qualifications might be, it doesn't make my opinion any more valid than yours, or that of anyone else.
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That much is obvious.

You don't need a degree in journalism to recognize that a dirty little game was being played here. NBC did an "investigation" that should have taken a few minutes, and then made some wishy washy apology. Did you serious expect otherwise?
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Specifically, then, what do you see as the dirty little game?
 
GhostlyJoe said:
.As for NBC's apology, it doesn't change my understanding of this issue at all. NBC is signaling that its serious about impartiality and concerned about the perception others have of the network's coverage. Nowhere does NBC admit the kind of bias that some are charging -- a secret desire to enflame racial strife or forward liberal causes.
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Did you for a second ever expect them to admit to their bias or inflaming racial strife?
 
Born Free said:
The dirty little secret is, lets alter the tape, make Z out as a racist, damage done. Then offer a quite apology.
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Is that the Today Show or NBC as a whole? Why does NBC have it in for Zimmerman? What is the end game?
 
Grant said:
It's like vampires fearing sunlight. They really have you running scared.

You trust NBC or MSNBC, huh?
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No, I watch ABC sponsored networks actually... (Although I do watch A LOT of FNC just for the laughs) ABC and CNN actually... In fact, I would go as far as to say that FNC deliberately lies to their followers just to keep them scared and tuning in. Real news media reports on things like how the war is going, what is going on in the world; not politics and attacking Obama 24/7. I will also point out that they don't just say here is what happened, they say "Here is what happened and this is our opinion on it and anyone who doesn't think that has fallen whey to the liberal biased media."

Oh, I will also add NPR to the news I listen to. I was thinking of video media when I wrote this.
 
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Grant said:
It's like vampires fearing sunlight. They really have you running scared.

You trust NBC or MSNBC, huh?
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I trust the actual news for both Fox and NBC, all 15 minutes of it. I trust none of the political entertainment, and don't think you should either. But I do think think we shouldn't lump them together.
 
Jryan said:
No, I watch ABC sponsored networks actually... (Although I do watch A LOT of FNC just for the laughs) ABC and CNN actually...
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Yes, ABC and CNN are just great. It's clear that you're well informed.
 
Mustachio said:
What do you mean "Zimmerman can't be given due process?" I don't understand this statement at all. I understand that people have jumped to conclusions without knowing the facts -- people on both sides. But the opinion of the public is not the court of law. Our system isn't perfect, but now is definitely a good time to let the case play out and hope that the court can separate fact from fiction and deliver the correct decision. There's been no indications thus far that a fair investigation and subsequent fair trial can't take place.
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RadicalModerate said:
I agree, I don't understand that sentiment either. What's the connection between public opinion and the decision of a jury?
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Jury members are made up of citizens. It is highly unlikely that one of them will not have heard about Martin's death by now. I think now is the best time for a trial, and that the longer we wait the less likely it is that Zimmerman will get a fair trial before this is manipulated even more to corrupt the opinion of the jurors. Whether or not Zimmerman is innocent or guilty, this incident was a failure of the American justice system. If they had acted quicker we would be more likely to find out the truth of what actually happened instead of the speculation and race baiting.
 
It's important to remember that this is an isolated incident. Sure, it was bad, and anyone who denies or deflects is being dishonest. I don't think, however, it is comparable to FNC, where hypocrisy and bias editing is rampant. If FOX only did it once I wouldn't have a problem with the entire network. Listen, Boo, MJ and other liberals defending NBC, stop! You can criticize FOX for being hypocritical while still accepting that what the Today Show did should never be done.
 
MadLib said:
Jury members are made up of citizens. It is highly unlikely that one of them will not have heard about Martin's death by now. I think now is the best time for a trial, and that the longer we wait the less likely it is that Zimmerman will get a fair trial before this is manipulated even more to corrupt the opinion of the jurors. Whether or not Zimmerman is innocent or guilty, this incident was a failure of the American justice system. If they had acted quicker we would be more likely to find out the truth of what actually happened instead of the speculation and race baiting.
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People have emotional reactions to stories that they hear about, especially when stories are presented to them by a biased source. When courts go through the process of selecting jury members and through the hours of arguments, testimonies, and examinations, the end result is a decision grounded in careful consideration of the facts and the pertinent laws. Look at Rodney King's trial - did the media exposure determine the outcome of that case? Or how about the OJ Simpson trial? Or the Casey Anthony trial? If anything, these high profile rulings have gone AGAINST public opinion.

A good example of what I'm talking about was here in Minnesota, there was recently a case of a guy in his late twenties getting hammered and driving up onto a sidewalk and mowing down everybody in his path, killing somebody who he thought was somebody else. Everybody wanted this guy to burn at the stake but ultimately he was convicted for second degree murder because the prosecution couldn't convincingly prove that the killing was planned/premeditated. That's a good example of a guy who was as unlikeable a person as you could possibly find who did something incredibly horrible for absolutely no reason - and the jury delivered the proper sentence. Frankly, the cost of the attorney is more likely to sway the outcome of a case than over-exposure.
 
MadLib said:
It's important to remember that this is an isolated incident. Sure, it was bad, and anyone who denies or deflects is being dishonest. I don't think, however, it is comparable to FNC, where hypocrisy and bias editing is rampant. If FOX only did it once I wouldn't have a problem with the entire network. Listen, Boo, MJ and other liberals defending NBC, stop! You can criticize FOX for being hypocritical while still accepting that what the Today Show did should never be done.
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Good point.

Perhaps we can be critical of other networks when we catch them distorting the news, as NBC did, and do it while its topical. But this lashing out at other networks, with no substance attached, is juvenile.
 
It's fun to take a look back sometimes... In this instance, we're going back just 11 days to see how Karl's post panned out:

Karl said:
The agenda seems to be all yours. The man is a racist, otherwise he would not have been chasing a black man
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Really Karl? That's brilliant logic. Let me make a note of that... Non black.. chases black.. racist... Got it.

And btw, Zimmerman wasn't "chasing" Martin, he was following him to see where he was going,



(are you going to argue that he would have chased a white Treyvon Martin?)
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No, but aparently you are arguing that he wouldn't have. I'd like to know what you base that on?

You see Karl, I don't know what he would have done, because I don't know the man.


and would not have been uttering racial epithets under his breath (and making other comments).
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What racial epithets are you referring to Karl?


Playing the tape in its entirety is no less inflammatory than the edited portion they (NBC, it seems) released.
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Really? First of all, I didn't find the tape imflammatory at all... Second, it seems that NBC disagrees with you, seeing as they not only apologised for the incident, they also fired the man responsible for it.

The despicable things are the attempts by local agitators (Sharpton, et al) to get Zimmerman arrested via intimidation, putting a bounty on his head (NBP), and attempting to publicize his home address (Lee). The media is doing none of that.
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I agree with you that those things are despicable Karl, but if it wasn't for the media hyping the non-existant racism angle in the first place, Sharpton, Lee and the Black Panthers wouldn't have been so involved in this issue, if at all.


Well wasn't that fun Karl?
 
MadLib said:
It's important to remember that this is an isolated incident. Sure, it was bad, and anyone who denies or deflects is being dishonest. I don't think, however, it is comparable to FNC, where hypocrisy and bias editing is rampant. If FOX only did it once I wouldn't have a problem with the entire network. Listen, Boo, MJ and other liberals defending NBC, stop! You can criticize FOX for being hypocritical while still accepting that what the Today Show did should never be done.
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Yes they are trying to vilify some innocent dude who merely saved his own life.

Think about that for a few seconds!
 
Muhammed said:
Yes they are trying to vilify some innocent dude who merely saved his own life.

Think about that for a few seconds!
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You're doing the opposite of what he's doing. You're leaping to a conclusion without any information as well. We don't know what happened at the crucial moment.
 
Boo Radley said:
You're doing the opposite of what he's doing. You're leaping to a conclusion without any information as well. We don't know what happened at the crucial moment.
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We know martin was on top of zimmerman beating him and zimmerman shot him
 
It looks like Zimmerman has disappeared.

What would supporters think if it came to light that Zimmerman left the country?
 
Mensch said:
It looks like Zimmerman has disappeared.

What would supporters think if it came to light that Zimmerman left the country?
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Given that he has not been charged with any crime and the black panther bounty and the numerous death threats against him and his family... I would not blame him for leaving the country. But I do blame you for implying that leaving the country is some kind of admission of guilt. ;) that was what you were trying to imply without actually saying it, wasn't it?
 
OscarB63 said:
Given that he has not been charged with any crime and the black panther bounty and the numerous death threats against him and his family... I would not blame him for leaving the country. But I do blame you for implying that leaving the country is some kind of admission of guilt. ;) that was what you were trying to imply without actually saying it, wasn't it?
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Don't presume to think I've actually taken a stand on this issue. I'm on the fence.

But if his "legal advisers" and the court would like him to stay local in case they need to press charges, wouldn't that be the ethical thing to do? Yes, I realize he has the right at this point to leave the country. But, as with other suspects in other high-profile cases, leaving the state often means the person is at least partly culpable.

The death threats shouldn't frighten a man who stands his ground, am I right?
 
Mensch said:
Don't presume to think I've actually taken a stand on this issue. I'm on the fence.

But if his "legal advisers" and the court would like him to stay local in case they need to press charges, wouldn't that be the ethical thing to do? Yes, I realize he has the right at this point to leave the country. But, as with other suspects in other high-profile cases, leaving the state often means the person is at least partly culpable.

The death threats shouldn't frighten a man who stands his ground, am I right?
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Bold: Just because a person feels that they can stand their ground does not mean that they are idiots. One man cannot stand up to hundreds of people.
 
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