I’m not sure if there’s a fund to support George Zimmerman’s defamation suit against NBC News over the intensely dishonest, misleading editing job they did in the aftermath of the controversial shooting (which we talked about as it happened)..:
“NBC saw the death of Trayvon Martin not as a tragedy but as an opportunity to increase ratings, and so to set about the myth that George Zimmerman was a racist and predatory villain,” states the civil complaint in its opening salvo against NBC.
(Also at The Washington Post: Can Zimmerman prevail against NBC?)
NBC’s editing of the 911 audiotape in the Martin case became a public fixation after the media-monitoring Web site NewsBusters.org noted editing oddities on a “Today” show broadcast March 27. Here’s how NBC News portrayed the audiotape:
Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.
The full tape went like this:
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.
Zimmerman thus didn’t volunteer a racial profile of Martin; he was asked to provide it, a point that the lawsuit makes in colorful fashion: “NBC created this false and defamatory misimpression using the oldest form of yellow journalism: manipulating Zimmerman’s own words, splicing together disparate parts of the recording to create illusions of statements that Zimmerman never actually made.”
…but if there is, I’m going to send a buck or two.
In a just world, everyone involved in that story at NBC should rot in jail for the rest of their lives.
Expect this story to get under-reported by Regime Approved Radio (RAR known colloquially as MPR/NPR) and the MSM
I wouldn’t worry about a legal defense fund for this particular case. Chances are his attorney is doing it on a contingency basis, and taking a cut of the proceeds. I just hope the attorney makes a huge pile of dough on this case.
And by “huge pile,” I mean enough to pay his attorneys for the criminal case, with lots left over.
And maybe I’m missing a reference, but his lawsuit is not a long shot. He has a very solid case, even if the court considers him a public figure, which is likely, though not forgone.
This behavior among leftists is pathological. Thier racist hatred bubbles up every time one of them opens their mouth or types a sentence.
Seriously, every Democrat should seek the help of a veterinarian psychologist…do it for the pups.
Might be less about the money and more about trial strategy. Zimmerman’s biggest weakness is jury pre-conception he’s a racist, which they got from NBC’s doctored news. This could be pre-trial rehabilitation. Plus, if he gets enough coverage, public opinion could swing against prosecuting him, giving the state an out to drop the charges. clever.
PJ,
The hard part is proving real damage to his finances as well as measurable real damage to his reputation.
It harder than it sounds, even in a case like this.
Don’t get me wrong – Zimmerman has as strong a case as anyone could, I think. But the deck is stacked against plaintiffs in defamation cases, for reasons that aren’t necessarily bad; we don’t want a system like in the UK where the courts shut down all criticism of public figures.
Showing actual damages is the one thing that’s kept me from filing a defamation suit against a certain someone.
The fact that they manipulated the tape should be enough. That is not freedom of speech and should not be held under the 1st Amendment. At the very least, it was malicious intent and collusion from the entire NBC news staff for allowing it to be aired.
It would help him if he shows video in court of:
A) NBC saying (heavily implying) Zimmerman killed the guy because Martin was black.
B) NBC then played an edited tape to make it sound like Zimmerman has a problem with black people being in his neighborhood.
That could show that NBC intentially created a fictional event to attack Zimmerman.
What about a charge of Reckless Endangerment?
Mitch,
Scour the comments section of any lefty blog, and you’ll see the damage done by NBC. Hard damages can be difficult, but in a case as infamous as this, they are easier to show than you might imagine. You do not need actual pecuniary loss, the damage to your reputation is sufficient. In addition, Defamation is an intentional tort. As such, an attorney can seek punitive damages, which are based on some nexus between the harm done and the ability of the Defendant to pay (i.e. enough to get the Defendant’s attention). It would not be difficult to get a jury pissed off at NBC.
Night Writer, Reckless endangerment is a criminal charge that can only be brought by the State. Even if the State of Florida brought it (which they won’t, and probably cannot), Zimmerman stands to gain nothing from that prosecution.
Even if NBC recklessly endangered Zimmerman’s life? Is there some civil negligence code or does the family have to wait until after he’s been killed to sue?