NBC Issues Apology for Zimmerman Screw-up

Network accused of mispresentation of Zimmerman

NBC has issued an apology for airing an abridged version of the police dispatcher’s conversation with George Zimmerman right before the shooting.

In the apology, the network says:

During our investigation it became evident that there was an error made in the production process that we deeply regret. We will be taking the necessary steps to prevent this from happening in the future and apologize to our viewers.

On the Today Show, the network portrayed a segment of the 911 call in this way:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.

Here’s how the actual conversation went down:

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.

Conservative network Fox News and media watchdog site NewsBusters quickly took notice and exposed the mishap.

Basically, the way NBC first aired the recording suggested that Zimmerman volunteered that Martin was black. In the actual recording, Zimmerman was asked Martin’s race, and he responded: “He looks black.”

In an appearance on Fox News’s “Hannity,” Brent Bozell, president of the conservative Media Research Center, called elision on the part of ”Today” an “all-out falsehood.”

Does the differentiation change your opinion of Zimmerman?