NBC Editgate: Buck Stops With Brian Williams

NBC Editgate: Buck Stops With Brian Williams: In September 2004, shortly before the November presidential elections pitting George W. Bush against John Kerry, CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Dan Rather presented a falsified document to the public that purported to show that Bush had gone AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard. As it turned out, the papers were forgeries. Rather retired under heavy pressure.

This month, NBC News broadcast a heavily edited tape of George Zimmerman’s 911 call in the Trayvon Martin case. The tape itself was fully available. And NBC News, as we’ve reported, cut the relevant portion of the tape deliberately in order to make Zimmerman look like a racist. Here’s the transcript of the original recording:

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.

Here’s the transcript of the edited recording:

ZIMMERMAN: This guy looks like he’s up to no good … he looks black.



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