Report: ‘Seasoned’ NBC staffer misfired in Zimmerman case
George Zimmerman, victim of accidental or deliberate misportrayal by NBC? (AP/Orlando Sentinel) Reuters reported last night that a “seasoned” staffer at NBC’s “Today” show was responsible for the much-discussed George Zimmerman foul-up. Citing two anonymous NBC sources, Reuters revealed that that NBC interviewed a “half dozen” employees as part of its investigation into how the show misleadingly edited the dispatcher’s call with Zimmerman that preceded the killing of Trayvon Martin.
Reuters story: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/06/us-usa-crime-martin-nbc-idUSBRE83502B20120406
The Today show's editorial control policies - which include a script editor, senior producer oversight, and in most cases legal and standards department reviews of material to be broadcast - missed the selective editing of the call, said the NBC executive.
Executives have vowed to take rigorous steps to formalize editorial safeguards in the news division following the incident, one of the sources said.
NBC News staffers who have been working on the Trayvon Martin story for several weeks in Florida were at first "in shock" over the incident, and later furious, another source, who is an NBC producer, told Reuters.
Incidents like this serve to remind us as journalists that while under a lot of pressure from the 24 hour news cycle, we have to remember to take a step back from our work and examine its ethical implications. I already feel pressure working for a small print bureau to get copy out quickly, I can only imagine how that gets amplified for television. We have to be so careful not to make mistakes as journalists. I feel like more and more high profile journalists are getting fired for slip-ups in the field such as misdirected tweets and bad ethical calls.
ReplyDelete"The sources described the producer's actions as a very bad mistake, but not deliberate". If it wasn't deliberate, than what was it? What does that even mean? Clearly the producer edited the way he saw fit, the way that he wanted the story framed. One does not accidentally edit out an audio clip; as journalists, we know that editing takes time and deliberation. This crafted editing taints NBC's reputation and credibility as an objective news organization.
ReplyDeleteI think this raises a good implication. Mainly, that the editors that were suppose to supervise the guy who edited out the clip should share a bit of responsibility for what happened. Don't get me wrong, the person who edited the audio clip is the only one who should receive the great bulk of responsibility for what happened. However, where were the editors who needed to catch this before it got published? Whatever they were doing, they didn't stop this clip from being published.
ReplyDeleteI recently heard that the editor was fired for the mishap. If you are second (or third or 30th) on a story by a matter of seconds or minutes, no one will remember that you were beaten out by a such a short time. However, if you are dead wrong on something, as we saw with the Jeremy Lin headline, people will remember that forever. Be right. If you're first, that's great, but a well written/shot story will get you further than worrying about beating the competition and overlooking such a significant mistake.
ReplyDeleteI agree that NBC's reputation takes a hit. This is a huge mistake and a blemish for the network that will be remembered for quite some time, especially since the Trayvon Martin topic is still a prominent headline across the country. However, someone else had to have checked out what was going to air. How did no one else catch it? Unless for some reason, the editor was the final and only call. If that's the case, there should be changes in terms of how things get published.