NBC Apologizes For Editing Zimmerman 911 Call 1005
Hugh Pickens writes "The Washington Post reports that NBC has completed its investigation into the Today show's mishandling of the police dispatcher's conversation with George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case with a finding of error, plus an apology. The apology addresses the show's failure to accurately abridge the conversation between Zimmerman and the dispatcher in this high-profile case. This is how the program portrayed a segment of that conversation: Zimmerman: 'This guy looks like he's up to no good. He looks black' Here what was actually said: 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.' In an appearance on Fox News's Hannity, Brent Bozell, president of the conservative Media Research Center, called this omission on the part of Today an 'all-out falsehood' — not just a distortion or misrepresentation. 'On the good front, [NBC] acknowledges the mistake and apologizes to viewers for the bad editing. It's a forthright correction and spares us any excuses about the faulty portrayal. On the bad front, the statement is skimpy on the details on just how the mistake unfolded,' writes Erik Wemple. 'In light of all that's happened, Zimmerman may be a tough person for a news network to apologize to, but that's just the point: Apologies are hard.'"
Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
Some stupid moron in the editing room or a producer did it on purpose. At least they didn't strap a bomb to him and blow him up like they did the cars.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
It's pretty clear NBC and many other media outlets constructed a narrative almost from the get-go of what happened, long before they even heard Zimmerman's side of the story. All the evidence was made to fit that narrative, a series of people who knew nothing about the case were paraded out to express outrage, and they basically found him guilty in the court of public opinion without even holding a trial. To get their ratings, they put this guy's life (and the lives of his family) in danger and threw gasoline on the fire of racial tension that already exists around these cases.
They should apologize for a LOT more than just a little selective editing of one tape.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Informative)
*cough*bullshit*cough* What the police have is a dead body, no witnesses to the start of the altercation(You cannot be penalized for a self defense claim when doing something legal), the only witness to see part of the altercation itself agrees completely with Zimmerman's story, wounds entirely consistent with his story unless you assume the arresting officers, paramedics, and lead investigator are all lying, and a self defense claim. Given that evidence, no prosecutor in their right mind is going to arrest because they don't have a snowflakes chance in hell of conviction.
Hell, even the girlfriend's story has Martin confronting Zimmerman.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:4, Informative)
3 years ago. You demonstrate my point. Rare vs the constant stream of distortions and lies from Fox News.
http://foxnewslies.net/ [foxnewslies.net]
Why National News? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
It's confirmation bias. When something horrible like this happens, we want a reassuring explanation, and when we settle on one we filter the information we receive and *re-transmit* to shore up that explanation. This applies to people whether they're liberal or conservative.
The thing about this phenomenon is that you don't need to *intend* to put your finger on the scales of truth to actually do it. Well meaning people twist the truth all the time.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
On the other hand, there is always a kernel of truth in their rantings.
To think that this very specific editing was an accident is a fools errand. Especially in light of NBCs previous, Ends Justifies the Means reporting tactics.
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True though... seeing the whole quote doesn't help much in my mind. Walking around aimlessly? Really? thats why you called 911? Because a guy is walking around aimlessly?
Fuck... I would hate to have lived anywhere near this guy when I was younger and used to, from time to time, just go for an aimless walk through the city in the middle of the night. Even if he was high...so fucking what.
Ok hes may not be openly racist per se.... but he is clearly LOOKING to cause trouble for someone. Whatever happened, ther
Re:Error My Ass (Score:4, Insightful)
I seem to remember that there is a legal principal that states if you initiate a chain of events that results in harm to someone, then you can be held liable, criminally or civilly. Clearly, Zimmerman getting out of the car is what started this chain of events.
I won't say he's a murder or not...not my call...that's for a jury.
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Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
Watching your property for strangers who might be out to steal from you and calling 911 from a discreet distance when someone who you do not recognize is wandering around at night around your home is not a provocation to a physical attack.
Good job failing to grasp the situation, or willfully misrepresenting the facts.
You don't happen to work for NBC do you?
No one finds fault with Zimmerman for the actions you mentioned. Calling 911, keeping an eye on someone... all fine and dandy. Harmless, if a bit paranoid. What people take umbrage with is Zimmerman leaving his vehicle and actively pursuing someone while armed.
Let that roll around in your head for a bit. Zimmerman grabbed his gun, jumped out of his car, and chased down a random stranger who was just walking down the street. Who, in that scenario, has the right to Stand Their Ground? Until hard evidence proves otherwise, my sympathies lie with the random stranger. Any damage inflicted upon the gun-toting aggressor (up to and including death) is justified self defense in my eyes, and any damage inflicted upon the random stranger is grounds for arrest.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
Zimmerman grabbed his gun, jumped out of his car
If he's like me and many other concealed carriers, the gun was already on his person, and if he got out of the car it automatically came with him, without his requiring another action.
The way you paint the picture makes it sound premeditated, and there's no real evidence that's the way it happened.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Interesting)
Hey turns out that video was edited too. The unedited video shows blood on the back of his head
[citation needed]
I've only seen a 'higher resolution' copy of that video, and that was 'sharpened' and the contrast screwed with. hell, if you 'adjust' it enough, you can 'discover' whatever 'evidence' you want to.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
IANAL, but look up "intervening cause". Just because you start a chain of event, if there is any intervening cause that can be attributed to the harm, you are generally off the hook. Of course if you could have predicted the intervening cause, then maybe not.
In this case, the advanced intervening cause may be what the details of the altercation were. If this is the determination, then it is irrelevent if Zimmerman got out of his car or not, and only the details of the altercation.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
1.) Zimmerman gets out of car
2.) ???
3.) Trayvon knocks down Zimmerman and pummels him in the face
4.) Zimmerman shoots and kills Trayvon
I think what happened in (2) is a lot more important than (1) for deciding who initiated the chain of events.
If all Zimmerman did was to ask a question, there's no way that Trayvon was justified to do (3). If Zimmerman threatened Trayvon verbally/physically, then perhaps Trayvon was trying to act in self-defense. (If Trayvon did not initiate the violence, it seems that he should want to run away, but people can make bad choices in high stress situations)
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Informative)
2.) no witnesses as to what happened
Actually, there were five contemporaneous witnesses, not counting Martin and Zimmerman.
~Loyal
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Informative)
Sorry but 911 operators have exactly zero authority to tell or order anyone to do anything.
Also, stand your ground laws have nothing to do with this. The only reason they are mentioned is because some people vehemently oppose them and this seems like the perfect opportunity for them to complain about them. If someone hits you, knocking you down, jumps on you, and starts bashing your head into the pavement then standing your ground isn't even an issue. Self defense laws cover that situation already.
You might want to rethink your opposition to stand your ground laws while you're at it. If you're legally obligated to run away instead of defending yourself then you can be herded like a lamb to the slaughter.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:4, Informative)
href="http://www.sanfordfl.gov/investigation/docs/Twin%20Lakes%20Shooting%20Initial%20Report.pdf">police report that states he was injured and treated at the scene:
Re:Error My Ass (Score:4, Insightful)
From what I have heard, that area is know for a HIGH crime rate. Also, if you have ever seen people on Bath Salts, Meth, Etc. they tend to look disoriented, and unaware of their surroundings.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Informative)
A gated community that had been robbed multiple times.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:4, Informative)
"This particular teenager" was caught by police with burglary tools and 12 women's rings, after getting caught on video vandalizing school property. When pressed, "a friend gave them to him".
His presence in the neighborhood could very well coincide with some of the burglaries.
The community is not "gated" as in "prison yard", it's "gated" as in you can't drive a car in without driving over grass if you can't open the gate. There are not walls around all of it. A person can easily walk in, and the walls there are, are four feet tall.
This is information is available on Google Maps.
There's a PDF of his school disciplinary record floating around that has the details of the burglary bust in it.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
I think you are making the assumption that because a community is gated that it is somehow immune from crime and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Informative)
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Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
Except it has been reported by many eyewitnesses that he did not in fact chase him down, but was himself chased, and then beaten
Pics - I mean, link, or GTFO. The only person I've so far heard advancing this version of the events is Zimmerman.
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Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Informative)
That link has no eye witness account. The only thing in it is that Zimmerman stated that he had been yelling for help. The only thing in it related to witnesses is the list of witnesses, and the fact that statements had been taken. Nothing about what those statements actually were.
So if that's where you got your information from: you're just making shit up. Which is just one step away from lying about it.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
Then either the witnesses are lying or the source of the passive voice "it has been reported" is lying. People living nearby [cnn.com]heard cries through their open window prior to the gunshot, but did nto see anything. They believe, without any actual evidence, that it was Martin who was in distress. Martin's girlfriend can only provide hearsay evidence of what she claims she heard over the phone. Zimmerman's friend Joe Oliver can only report what Zimmerman told him -- more hearsay. One eyewitness said from the start it was too dark to tell who was assaulting whom, and the kid who originally said he saw Martin on top has recanted that statement, claiming he was pressured by the police to alter his report.
I don't know what to believe, but given Zimmerman's past history of unprovoked violence I'm not inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. If nothing else comes of this, it's an excellent example of how that SYG law allows for insane vigilante warfare, making the streets more, not less, dangerous.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
On the other hand, you have the completely separate issue where NBC is performing racist reporting with the clear intent of inciting racial conflict. What NBC reports doesn't change the facts of the shooting. The shooting doesn't change the fact that NBC is a race baiting news organization.
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Walking around aimlessly? Really? thats why you called 911? Because a guy is walking around aimlessly?
Well, no. The guy was walking around aimlessly in the rain in the dark in a neighborhood that had experienced some recent thefts. That's why Zimmerman called 911.
~Loyal
My friend is trying to protect his neighborhood (Score:5, Insightful)
He's lived here for 30 years and watched crime go up and up over that time. Every week he tells us of another house that's been broken into. In almost all instances, the house was cased prior to the robbery to determine when it would be unoccupied.
Crime is best prevented by the people knowing their neighborhood and being able to spot anything out of place. If an unknown 6'2" black guy in a hoodie walking apparently randomly at night is out of place in a neighborhood, then so be it.
Oh no, that would be profiling! Racist! Hate to break it to you, but NOT profiling according to statistically relevant criteria is plain stupid and a waste of resources.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:4, Funny)
Walking around aimlessly in the rain is unusual behavior unless you're a little kid splashing in puddles or a duck.
But I like long walks in the rain!
Also, candlelit dinners.
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he didn't start the fight.. according to him and corroborated by witnesses, he was walking back to his car when trayvon confronted him and attacked him. all the evidence points to trayvon being the aggressor.
also, everyone keeps calling trayvon an unarmed child, but when a 160+ pound man -- and a 17 year old is a man -- is sitting on top of you smashing your head into the pavement, that's deadly force and it's entirely appropriate to respond in kind.
also your name is entirely apropos.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
also, everyone keeps calling trayvon an unarmed child, but when a 160+ pound man -- and a 17 year old is a man ...
People assume he is a child because of ... more media bias. Despite the fact that he was 17, nearly every media source used a five year old picture of him when he was twelve.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
also, everyone keeps calling trayvon an unarmed child, but when a 160+ pound man -- and a 17 year old is a man ...
People assume he is a child because of ... more media bias. Despite the fact that he was 17, nearly every media source used a five year old picture of him when he was twelve.
Precisely. There is exactly dick for reliable information on this story. Practically everything that has been put out by the mainstream media, a phrase I'm reluctant to use, has been heavily spun in a particular direction ever since the story went national. It has been an extremely consistent, dare I say blatant, narrative that has been drilled in regardless of any facts or information available later. This picture thing is yet another example of it in addition to the subject of this thread.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Interesting)
I have been involved in events 3 times in my life where there was media coverage. All 3 times the media made major mistakes in what they reported and omissions of what they did not report. Details like "the business was shut down, and all equipment was removed from the building", when the reality was the business was not shut down and the police removed a single PC from the business. All the local news did was read a press release written the previous day by the party that requested the police search the building. The local media did not even attempt to contact anyone to gather any facts or to collaborate any details. The other two news stories had the facts all wrong as well.
Honestly I am afraid to watch the new.s I fear ever time I watch a news story that I am actually becoming dumber instead of becoming more informed.
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>>>mainstream media, a phrase I'm reluctant to use
Replace with "TV media". They are the ones that have the greatest impact on citizens' beliefs, since they are the most-watched form of media.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
Controversy sells.
It's despicable, but the media has gleefully milked this story for far more than it's worth.
And it happens at the expense of us all, who sit here getting nasty with each other over conflicting stories, false information, unfounded accusations, etc. Objectively, we know very little of what we'd need to know to have good, rational opinions.
I think we're normally more reasonable than this, and we've been had. Again.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Informative)
And 160 lbs at 6'3 is so skinny as to be a total non-threat. I know, because I've been there. Furthermore, there was no smashing the head into the pavement. Otherwise, he would have gotten a ride to the ER and a catscan to check for bleeding in the brain.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
In pre-fat ass America, that size was considered on the thin side of normal.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Interesting)
Also the shooter isn't a "white male" as media keeps reporting. He's a minority just like the victim is a minority. This was a Hispanic on Black crime, not a white on black crime, but they are trying to spin it to make the white majority feel guilty. Stirring a race war.
BTW this isn't the first time NBC was caught. Their cable channel MicrosoftNBC edited video of ONE black man carrying a gun, in order to disguise his race.
Then they overlaid it with about 5 minutes of dialogue about white men (notice the plural) carrying guns because they don't like a black president, and are likely racists who want to kill him. Neither MicrosoftNBC or its parent NBC Universal ever apologized for that error.
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but when a 160+ pound man
------------------
He is 140lbs and 6'3". That puts him solidly in the "underweight" BMI category.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
> Zimmerman is still a murderer, though.
I'm not going to defend the man, but don't you think it's just a _little_ ironic that you would state that with certainty in a story about how the "facts" we get can be so blatantly distorted? There are reasons for presumed innocence and a formal trial, and this is one of them.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
It's amazing that despite the fact that the media has intentionally and willfully distorted the facts surrounding this case there are still people who stand by their ill-informed decision to immediately convict the suspect.
The presumption of innocence is extremely important, and it's frightening that everyone is so quick to throw that concept out of the window. Even commenters here on Slashdot are doing it.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Funny)
The presumption of innocence is extremely important, and it's frightening that everyone is so quick to throw that concept out of the window. Even commenters here on Slashdot are doing it.
And after the NBC edit. This is how it your comments come through:
The presumption of innocence... throw that concept out of the window.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Interesting)
Something else you won't see in the media
"You will recall the incident of the beating of the black homeless man Sherman Ware on December 4, 2010 by the son of a Sanford police officer. The beating sparked an outrage in the community but there were very few that stepped up to do anything about it. I would presume the inaction was because of the fact that he was homeless not because he was black. Do you know the individual that stepped up when no one else in the black community would? Do you know who spent tireless hours putting flyers on the cars of persons parked in the churches of the black community? Do you know who waited for the church]goers to get out of church so that he could hand them fliers in an attempt to organize the black community against this horrible miscarriage of justice? Do you know who helped organize the City Hall meeting on January 8th, 2011 at Sanford City Hall?? That person was GEORGE ZIMMERMAN. Ironic isn’t it?"
http://www.scribd.com/doc/87688384/Zimmerman-family-member-letter-to-NAACP
Re:Error My Ass (Score:4, Informative)
You realize that murder has a legal meaning right?... and if he 'gets off' on a technicality... then he's not legally murderer... and actually leaves you actionable for libel.
More so... murder tends to require a specific intent, so unless you care to demonstrate that he got out of his car thinking/saying "I'm going to go shoot this guy"... the best you could hope for would be manslaughter... and even then the evidence of the assault on Mr. Zimmerman makes it an even tougher case.
Re: (Score:3)
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Informative)
Keep in mind this "child" was 6'3" and 17 years old. Not the 12 year old boy the media is showing (Hmmm portray Martin as a young boy and Zimmerman as a racist (via doctored 911 call audio), and tried REALLY hard to portray Zimmerman as white, when he is Hispanic... Why would they do that?)
Keep in mind, two days ago the police report was released on this. There are six adult witnesses on it. The cops did take Zimmerman's weapon as evidence and took 3 statements and a video statement.
This is the Duke Lacrosse case all over again. The media tries to spin racial injustice (that's great for ratings!!!) but the facts (and DNA) say the accused is innocent.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:4, Insightful)
Where the hell do you get DNA from? And for someone who says "let the facts play out", you seem awfully sure that Zimmerman did indeed act in self-defense.
Here are the only things that are actually known at this point:
* Zimmerman identified someone walking in his neighborhood as enough of a risk to call 911.
* Zimmerman follows said person.
* Zimmerman and Martin get into an altercation.
* Zimmerman shoots Martin.
* EMT releases Zimmerman after an on-site inspection.
* Police does not investigate issue.
Here are the things that point at Martin being suspicious enough to get Zimmerman to make a 911 call and and follow Martin:
* He is young
* He is black
* He is wearing a hoodie
* He is walking in a gated community
* He is carrying a can.
Here's what the police and the DA didn't deem suspicious enough to investigate the matter further:
* Zimmerman shot Martin out in the open, on a semi-private road. The only witness is Zimmerman. There is reason to believe that Zimmerman might have instigated the confrontation.
Yes, please, let the police and the DA do their work - but for god's sake, they need to be doing their work. They're not. That's the real issue here, not whether Zimmerman is an overly aggressive cop-wannabe who thinks shooting black kids is the way to solve his crime problem.
Mod parent up. (Score:5, Insightful)
The police have yet to explain all the things that they did NOT do in this case.
No drug/alcohol test for Zimmerman.
No checking Martin's cell phone.
No photos of the damage to Zimmerman that would support Zimmerman's claims.
The cops are looking rather incompetent. So WHY are the cops incompetent?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Keep in mind this "child" was 6'3" and 17 years old.
--------------
Yes, and he weighs 140lbs. He is unhealthily underweight, aka a toothpick with arms
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It's that kind of attitude (do nothing) which allows a person to be robbed & beat-up on city streets, then left to lay there dying, while nobody does a damn thing to help.
If you observe a crime you have a Natural right to act to (a) defend your neighbors from imminent harm (b) help any victims already harmed (c) defend yourself if attacked. You don't need permission to be a Good Samaritan. WE the people are the boss, not the government or its agents.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Informative)
The photo of Mr. Martin in the red shirt is not from age 17, or even 16... but ~ age 12... as are the majority of the photos shown in the MSM... now his twitter accounts had more telling photos.... just as the mug shot looking photo of Mr. Zimmerman which has been splashed most places is similarly old and helping to lead to incorrect conclusions about both me.
Correct... but not to the media who labeled him as a white man from day one because it played into a narrative of "gun weilding white man gun downs young and unarmed black boy"... and only later backed away slightly as they realized their mistake.
Care to support that argument? All credible information I've seen says just the opposite that people of all races in the community knew that he was someone who could be counted on.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:4, Informative)
Not that it matters, but just to corret you: Hispanic is not a race. You can have black hispanics, white hispanics and every other colour hispanics.
What does matter is your lie about Obama: Obama was asked a direct question about the case in a press conference, following is a complete video of the answer. And at no time does he refer to Zimmerman as a white man.
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/2012-election/video-pres-obama-if-i-had-son-he [opposingviews.com]â(TM)d-look-trayvon
I won't bother looking up the other accusations you made. The may be similarly full of shit or they may be true. It doesn't matter to the case. As I said Zimmerman's race is irrelevant.
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I sense irony. you malign NBC for misrepresenting the truth yet you intentional use terminology to misrepresent the truth by
* Calling Zimmerman a murderer without any sort of charge let alone conviction.
* Referencing Martin as a child which is going to invoke a protective instinct rather than using a more age appropriate word like adolescent, teenager, or minor.
* Utilizing the word hunt, which holds the intent to kill, despite no evidence that suggests that was the intent.
Re:Error My Ass (Score:5, Insightful)
I agree. This is an inexcusable instance of media bias, a plain example of stripping context out of a story for spin.
Zimmerman is still a murderer, though. You don't get to claim self defense when you started the fight. If you hunt down and kill an unarmed child, you can expect to be tried for murder.
I'm compelled to point out that the idea that he started the fight, correct or not, came from the exact same media sources that just blatantly skewed a story in a rather extreme way for reasons not entirely known. As such, you may wish to consider before you declare someone is a murder based on the information put out by those exact same sources, no?
Depends on what the facts turn out to be (Score:3)
In the beginning I thought the same. I've been through the concealed carry class, I know that if you start a confrontation you aren't protected. But if the confrontation breaks off then everything starts over.
Zimmerman follwing him, confronting him and shooting wouldn't protect him. That's what the initial story that hit the press said. That's why I was initially on Martin's side.
But Zimmerman's version is that he lost Martin, which legally ends that confrontation. Then Martin came up to him, beginning anot
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Apologies... (Score:5, Funny)
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A moose once shot my brother...
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We apologize again for the fault in the subtitles. Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked have been sacked.
Apology hell, now sue them for defamation (Score:3)
That apology and a few million dollars should make the hurt feelings go away.
Give the People What They Want (Score:5, Insightful)
It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about.
Guilty guilty GUILTY! A thousand counts of guilty for ... um ... being bored in public? "I demanded he present his papers and pointed out that any self-respecting member of the proletariat would not lethargically meander about and instead optimize his steps in an effort to better serve his comrades."
... look at those servers cook!
And NBC? Why, they were giving you the best news money can buy. You wanted George Zimmerman to be super guilty, super racist and super scumbag and that's what they kindly provided you. Your eyeballs and mouse clicks lead NBC to place money over justice or facts (the true Capitalists that we all are). SO either stop watching them or just forgive them for entertaining you a little too well. A young man was killed by some power-tripping neighborhood watch? We can easily incite a race war with our reporting, you say? NBC sees dollar signs! Just a touch of editing and
Normally I would feel unqualified to make any comments on this case unfortunately it's unclear if this will ever be brought before an actual court so this might end up being the only thing done -- mock trials in the worst format of all: the 24 hour news cycle.
Re:Give the People What They Want (Score:5, Insightful)
I guess you live in one of those real gated communities (i.e. rich white suburbs too far from the bus stop for the lower class to get to) that never has to worry about burglaries. There is a reason why Zimmerman was a neighborhood watchman - their neighborhood had been suffering many break-ins and was a high crime area. If you live in a high crime area and notice someone that doesn't live there is walking around from house to house in the daytime you'd be suspicious too.
Wakeup call to those who only hound Fox "News" (Score:5, Insightful)
This just goes to show you that Fox News is not the only one who will happily edit or take out of context something they feel will boost their ratings or meet their internal bias/views. It's why I've stopped watching/reading all mainstream news. I just occasionally glance at "smaller"news sites and browse /. (though most /. summaries also twist the facts to meet the submitter/editor's own bias/views, but the topics are generally more interesting to me.)
Considering the weight we put on our Jury system, this kind of reporting should actually come with heavy penalties. AFAIK, Zimmerman has yet to go to trial (if ever), and reporting like this will only improperly skew the potential jury pool one way or another. And because many Americans still trust "news" (be it Fox News or NBC or CNN), they will take things like this as absolute fact; a correction never gets as much time or weight as the original story, so they're far more likely to miss that. This American Life's correction a few weeks back was the proper way to go about it, and that's likely a millennial event. And I'm too lazy to look it up, but a few months back there was a report on /. that even after someone is told that a previously stated "fact" was actually a mistake or outright lie, an alarming portion of people still hold the previous "mistruth" as fact.
Furthermore, an incident like this actually helps Zimmerman--there's plenty of evidence, circumstantial or otherwise, to lob against this guy, so when you go out of your way to make up or twist such things it only lends credence to the idea that the guy isn't as bad as he seems.
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While absolutely true, this doesn't improve what the Today show did; as well, from reading the article it looks like they didn't apologize until they were caught. The only difference between the two is that Fox News is a kid that's willing to lie for its own wants; NBC, on the other hand, is an adult that's willing to lie for its own wants.
They're still both ready and willing to intentionally misinform, and thus both still complete bullocks.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
"NBC" didn't do anything (Score:5, Insightful)
This article refers to things that NBC decided, did, or said regarding their outrageous editing of George Zimmerman's 911 call.
But NBC exists only in a legal sense. It has no brain. It makes no decisions. And it's really incapable of giving a rat's ass about criticisms it might receive from the right of the political spectrum.
The things that NBC "says" or "does" are really said or done by the people who work, mostly anonymously, inside the protective bubble we refer to as NBC.
We're not permitted to know which of those people made the "error" in question. But we know who is the one ultimately responsible for it.
That would be Steve Capus, the president of NBC news. As the top guy, he is ultimately responsible for everything NBC "says" or "does".
And now, Steve Capus is responsible for the whitewashing of this "error."
Steve Capus must be held accountable for this travesty that happened on his watch. Steve Capus must step down as the president of NBC News.
Every post about this issue should frame it as what it really is: Malicious malpractice, committed and covered up by Steve Capus.
Judicious Editing (Score:5, Insightful)
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Representing this as a mistake is BS (Score:5, Insightful)
This wasn't a mistake, it was a deliberate misrepresentation on the behalf of whoever did the editing or ordered the editing done.
When the corporation claims 'oops' when it is obviously deliberate, it leads to distrust. There most definitely should have been firings over this.
Re:who cares (Score:5, Insightful)
Zimmerman and his parents probably care that they were libeled on national TV in an attempt to rile a mob to literally murder them.
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Or, were they actually trying to stir up a crowd of people to *literally* (not figuratively) murder GZ?
One of their front page website stories is titled "Trayvon's parents to lead nighttime rally in Miami" so ... yeah, they're "literally" trying to round up a night time lynch party and get them fired up by slandering him. Imagine how many will tune in to watch, if/when the media manages to get Zimmerman lynched, which seems to be the media gameplan.
Would you see it through such hyperbolic lenses if it were a network that hewed closer to your personal worldview?
Lets see if that network matches my worldview.. lets look at their non-zimmerman slandering stories right off their own website ... "Beard shares struggle to be
Re:This IS NOT NEWS FOR NERDS (Score:5, Funny)
Please stop, this is not news for nerds.
Editors stay in your lane. There is nothing relevant in this case to tech, or nerd issues.
Nerds frequently walk around looking awkward, wearing hoodies, and scaring simpletons who think they must be D&D satan worshippers. Seems relevant to me.
(And, yes, the D&D satan thing probably is dating me ...)
Re:This IS NOT NEWS FOR NERDS (Score:4, Funny)
(And, yes, the D&D satan thing probably is dating me ...)
Whatever kind of guys you're into. We're not here to judge.
Re:This IS NOT NEWS FOR NERDS (Score:5, Insightful)
I think you have improperly equated "news for nerds" with "nerdy news".
I'm a nerd. This interests me. Therefore this is news for nerds. Get off your high horse.
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I'm going to have to ask for a citation for that outlandish claim.
Re:This IS NOT NEWS FOR NERDS (Score:5, Insightful)
Editors stay in your lane. There is nothing relevant in this case to tech, or nerd issues.
Manipulation of recorded data by a major media outlet to change peoples' perception is not relevant to tech?
Re:He looks like he's up to no good? (Score:4, Interesting)
Or if he's the wrong color in the wrong neighborhood, steal his wallet, sucker-punch him in the face with a knock-out punch, then strip him of his clothes, all the while laughing and videoing on your cell phone.
http://rmirror.net/r/videos/comments/rsc0g/this_makes_my_blood_boil/ [rmirror.net]
Re:He looks like he's up to no good? (Score:4, Informative)
Most states DO have this. It's called "brandishing." Exposing the firearm for the purpose of intimidation not related to a defensive reason.
The thing is, if you get punished for pulling it w/o using it, you'll end up with a lot more people shot in the back. Why? Many times simply pulling a concealed gun ends the threat: the idiot threatening you has a sudden stroke of intelligence and bolts or submits. Thankfully, a lot of things can and do change in the half second between breaking leather and presentation on target. That saves many idiots' lives.
Re:Mistake my ass (Score:5, Insightful)
That might be overthinking it a bit. Lets try to figure out what the "today show" is. Is it carefully calibrated propaganda, or just irrelevant chewing gum for the mind?
Lets look at their website to see how they show themselves to the world... "Trayvon's parents to lead nighttime rally in Miami " "And the most huggable TODAY anchor is." "5 confessions of a ‘Scary Mommy’ " "Beard shares struggle to be ‘beautiful, thin and perfect’ " "Why is Savannah barefoot at the news desk? " "Kate and William wax figures unveiled at Madame Tussauds" "Hey, girl, watch out for that taxi! Gosling to the rescue ""Too-beautiful British writer: ‘The bile proves my point’ " "Matt to Ryan Seacrest: Are you taking my job?" "Has Obama locked up the Trekkie vote? " "Mom recounts saving daughters from ‘terrifying’ tornado "Where to buy Kate and Pippa Middleton's favorite jeans " "‘Reunion’s’ Levy: ‘I’m tired of being a sex symbol’ "Seeing double: Celebrities get the wax treatment "
I think a detailed analysis indicates its basically all crap... chewing gum for the mind... meaningless trivialities. Mostly "human interest stories" and "celebrity gossip". Good to hear that I'm not missing anything... according to ratings I'm part of the 99% of the population that doesn't watch that kind of trash.
Considering that only around 1% of the population watches, its probably not the ideal vehicle to propagandize to the masses.
I would imagine a show like this occasionally F-s up a lasanga recipe or mis-pronounces a TV stars name, and no one cares, its just that for once they covered something I'm told I should care about, and they were not used to the higher standard required for the scrutiny. My guess is the managers who put the B-team in charge of an A-team task will get off free by throwing their employees under the bus. Clear case of mis-management. If they had stuck to celebrity gossip, a normal screwup would have been OK and unnoticed.
Re:Why so hung up on a race? (Score:4, Informative)
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If the victim is a minority, they aren't going to investigate the death as much. Doesn't matter if the person who killed them is minority or not. As I mentioned in my earlier comment, RE: Brandon Gotwalt - my county with a population over a million and less than 5 murders a year takes murder very seriously and did not charge this guy despite the fact that he was drinking alcohol, brought
Race also determines the level of outrage (Score:3)
In the heirarchy of victim classes, outrage manufactured by the media only happens when a higher victim class is attacked by a lower one. For example, anybody but a black attacks a black, it's outrage. White attacks Hispanic, outrage. Black attacks a Hispanic, no problem. Black gang beats a while kid within an inch of his life just for being white in the wrong place, no problem, no hate crime.
This also works for sexual orientation. Straights kill a gay, HUGE outrage even when their motive wasn't over the se
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Re:Why so hung up on a race? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Why so hung up on a race? (Score:4, Insightful)
The shooter should be on trial for murder if there is probable cause to believe he was the one who started the fight.
The shooter should be registered with the police and given notice that an investigation is under way, and should a strong enough case be built against him, be charged and brought to trial.
Probable cause is enough initiate searches and investigations, but not enough to keep a person under arrest or to bring him to trial. It's so very strange that the often pro civil liberty slashdot is suddenly in favor of police and government overreach.
Re:it is impossible to remove bias from media (Score:5, Insightful)
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1. Who started the fight?
2. Did Zimmerman have a reasonable belief that using his gun was the only way to escape serious injury or death?