George Zimmerman’s 911 Call
NBC News doctoring of George Zimmerman’s 911 call the night he shot Trayvon Martin was reprehensible.
To the applause of many Zimmerman trial observers, George Zimmerman plans to resume his defamation lawsuit against NBC News for its coverage of the call he made to police the night he came face-to-face with 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
NBC performed the classic bait and switch with the 911 tape with their obvious editing of Zimmerman’s intentions that fateful night.
NBC Edited Out Significant Portions of The Discussion
Zimmerman accuses NBC that a March 27, 2012 “Today” broadcast portrayed him as a racist by editing out significant portions of the discussion he had with police, The Washington Post reports.
NBC’s edited the 911 tape to say, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.”
The full tape of the call went like this:
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 lawsuit was initially filed in December against NBC, but put on hold pending the outcome of his trial.
It Was A Mistake
Last year NBC News’ then-President Steve Capus called the edit “a mistake and not a deliberate act to misrepresent the phone call,” claiming heads would roll at the network for the editing.
James Beasley, a Philadelphia-based attorney hired by Zimmerman, told the Washington Post, “We’re going to start in earnest asap.”
And who can blame Zimmerman with such unprofessional and biased behavior by a network news division?
Verdict Not Guilty
Beasley added, “This verdict of not guilty is just that, and shows that at least this jury didn’t believe that George was a racist, profiling, or anything that the press accused George of being. That probably doesn’t get you that much but it’s simply time for us to start the case and hold accountable anyone who is irresponsible in their journalism.
More lawsuits may be filed by Zimmerman in this highly charged case.
