Trayvon Martin Case Exposed Media

We often talk about liberal media bias. But if you want an example of media bias and the kinds of negative effects that can result from media bias, look no further than NBC’s actions in the Trayvon Martin shooting case. NBC turned an innocuous quote on its head and caused a national race riot. Now NBC is investigating itself, and I’m sure we’ll all rest easier.

When NBC first reported on the Trayvon Martin shooting, they obtained a copy of the 911 call Zimmerman made before the shooting. Here is what NBC played on the air:

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

This is a huge part of the reason the race lobby got into this case. They heard this and assumed that Zimmerman was a racist. Indeed, this quote could easily be read as Zimmerman stating that he thought the fact Martin was black was proof enough that Martin was up to no good.

Add in the report (still completely unconfirmed by ANY witness) that Martin was holding a drink in one hand and a bag of Skittles in the other, and the photo of Martin as a seemingly innocent child, the parents whining how he was a good boy who never hurt anyone, and NBC and the other networks using an old Zimmerman mugshot from a DUI which makes Zimmerman look like a criminal, and you’ve got a report which set the stage to make Zimmerman look like a predator who went after Martin because he was black.

But here’s the thing. The quote NBC gave above is deceitfully edited. Here’s the actual conversation:

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.

Notice several facts. First, Zimmerman gives actual reasons why Martin’s BEHAVIOR is suspicious. If Martin is just headed to a relative’s or girlfriend’s house as his supporters claim, why is he just wandering around in the rain? Further, Zimmerman notes that Martin looks like he’s on drugs, a look which would itself warrant calling the police for Martin’s own safety if nothing else. I have not heard about a toxicology done on Martin’s body, but it would be interesting to know what drugs were in his system, if any(. . . see what I did there NBC?), as they may well explain aggressive behavior and may well put the lie to the idea of the innocent kid going to 7-11. . . in the rain.

Next, notice that Zimmerman not only does not raise the issue of race. Instead, the dispatcher specifically asks Zimmerman what Martin’s race is, which is the first time it come up. Further, Zimmerman isn’t even certain what Martin’s race is. Notice that he does not say Martin “IS” black, he says Martin “LOOKS” black, as if there is some doubt. Moreover, if you actually listen to the tape, you will hear uncertainty in Zimmerman’s voice. He is not asserting, “oh heck, yeah, he looks black all right,” he is saying “looks” in the sense of “hmm, I’m not sure, but he appears to be black?”

So here you have a guy who gives a valid description of the type of behavior the police would use to stop and question ANY individual without reference to race, and who does not seem to know for certain what the other person’s race is, nor does he appear to care until he is asked. Yet, NBC edited this quote to make it sound like Zimmerman targeted Martin because Zimmerman thought he was black.

Why would NBC do this? Because that is how leftists think. They WANTED to see a race-based crime here and so they read the above transcript and they pulled out the words which confirmed their prejudice, whether that accurately conveyed reality or not. This is also why they keep using outdated photos of Martin to make him seem innocent -- because they want him to be. Here, by the way, is the photo Martin himself used for his Twitter Account “No Limit Nigger”:

That’s also why they keep using an outdated mugshot of Zimmerman when more recent, less inflammatory images are available, why they don’t report on things like Martin’s record or Zimmerman’s background working with black churches, and why they keep trying to call Zimmerman “white”: because that is what they WANT him to be. Why? Because the leftist media seeks to inflame racial tensions because it helps their cause to keep Americans divided into tribes. In fact, if Zimmerman had shot a white kid, you can bet it would be considered racist to keep using Zimmerman’s mugshot. And if a German-American had shot Zimmerman, you can bet that the “white” Zimmerman would suddenly be described as “Hispanic.”

The fact NBC has done what they’ve done here and no one noticed until Fox News called them on it, is evidence that NBC cannot be considered an unbiased or trustworthy source of news. They are an agenda-driven propaganda machine and they have no qualms about exploiting tragedies or inventing scapegoats for imagined racial crimes.

Interestingly, liberal bloggers have taken up the issue of “bias.” But of course, it won’t surprise you that the bias they see comes from places like The Daily Caller, which is not a news service like NBC and does not pretend to be unbiased, and which does not have national reach like NBC. Moreover, the supposed bias of which they are accused is pointing out Martin’s own words and deeds which contradict the leftist fantasy narrative. Imagine that. Once again, it is “racist” to quote something bad a minority has said, just like it was racist to repeat Obama’s own words (LINK.

The left has no credibility.