Bozell Demands Explanation Over NBC’s 2nd Doctoring of Zimmerman 9-1-1 Call

May 3, 2012 - NBC has quietly fired Today show correspondent Lilia Luciano for yet another misleading edit to George Zimmerman’s 9-1-1 call.  Both edits were clearly meant to inflame racial tensions; both clearly distorted the picture. Although NBC has claimed to be conducting an internal investigation into the fraudulent edits, and by their firings are clearly acknowledging the wrongdoing, astonishingly they continue to refuse to apologize on-air to their viewers for their repeated journalistic malpractice.

Brent Bozell, President of the Media Research Center, consistently insisted NBC and its parent company Comcast have lost all credibility by these deliberate distortions and their continued
refusal to apologize to the very audience they deceived. The latest firing confirms this.  

Bozell stated:

“Another head has rolled behind NBC’s iron curtain as the troubled, so-called ‘news’ network continues to drop the guillotine on those responsible for the deliberately misleading edits to Zimmerman’s 9-1-1 call.

NBC has now fired three people from two different offices over at least two different edits of George Zimmerman’s now infamous 9-1-1 call prior to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Both edits were clearly designed to portray Zimmerman as a racist while raising tensions in an already volatile situation.  This latest firing from NBC once again goes unexplained.  NBC’s actions vindicate the Media Research Center’s original point that NBC's two-sentence (non)apology was an insult, and that this is a network out of control.

The truth has been withheld from NBC’s own viewers now for more than one month.  Do the network executives at NBC think that this is acceptable? What about the board and shareholders of Comcast?  Is it acceptable for a news organization to consciously and constantly lie to its viewers?

Despite Steve Capus, NBC News president, admitting they "probably" should have apologized on-air, NBC still has yet to do so. Even the local NBC affiliate that doctored the clip has fired the offender and apologized and retracted on-air.

Many questions are left unanswered and NBC will be held accountable for its actions.  Own up to your dishonesty, NBC; tell your audience the truth for once and for all.” 

To schedule an interview with MRC President Brent Bozell or another MRC spokesperson, please contact Colleen Sullivan - csullivan@crcpublicrelations.com or Hayley McConnell -hmcconnell@crcpublicrelations.com or call (703) 683-5004.