Editing Today (American TV program) (section)

===Selective editing of George Zimmerman 9-1-1 call===
After the [[killing of Trayvon Martin]], ''Today'' ran a selectively edited version of the [[9-1-1]] call that George Zimmerman made prior to shooting and killing Martin (which he defended as being committed in [[self-defense]] while standing trial for the shooting, for which he was acquitted on charges of murder in July 2013), which had the effect of making Zimmerman appear [[racist]]. In a March 2012 edition of the program, ''Today'' played a recording of Zimmerman saying, "This guy looks like he's up to no good. He looks black." However, several seconds of the call were cut from the 911 tape, removing Zimmerman's description of Martin, and a question asked to him about the teenager by the 911 operator. In the original, unedited tape, Zimmerman said, "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." The operator then asked, "OK, and this guy – is he black, white or Hispanic?", to which Zimmerman answered, "He looks black."

In an opinion piece, Erik Wemple of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote that ''Today''{{'}}s alteration "would more readily paint Zimmerman as a [[racial profiling]]. In reality's version, Zimmerman simply answered a question about the race of the person whom he was reporting to the police. Nothing prejudicial at all in responding to such an inquiry... it's a falsehood with repercussions. Much of the public discussion over the past week has settled on how conflicting facts and interpretations call into question whether Zimmerman acted justifiably or criminally... To portray that exchange in a way that wrongs Zimmerman is high editorial malpractice..."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/post/nbc-to-do-internal-investigation-on-zimmerman-segment/2012/03/31/gIQAc4HhnS_blog.html?hpid=z6| title=NBC to do 'internal investigation' on Zimmerman segment| date=March 31, 2012| newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

Following an internal investigation into the production of the segment, NBC News fired two employees who were involved in the piece, including a producer based at the division's Miami bureau, in April 2012.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/06/nbc-fires-producer-of-misleading-zimmerman-tape/?scp=1&sq=NBC%20producer%20fired%20over%20Zimmerman%20911%20call&st=cse| title=NBC Fires Producer of Misleading Zimmerman Tape| first=Brian| last=Stelter| date=April 6, 2012| work=The New York Times| access-date=February 8, 2015}}</ref> In December 2012, George Zimmerman filed a defamation lawsuit against NBC for the editing of the 911 call. Florida Circuit Court Judge Debra Nelson dismissed the suit on June 30, 2014, citing that there were "no genuine issues of material fact upon which a reasonable jury could find that the Defendants [NBCUniversal] acted with actual malice," but although Zimmerman could not prove that he was the victim of "actual malice", stated that the malice standard was appropriate since Zimmerman is a public figure.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman/os-george-zimmerman-nbc-suit-dead-20140630-story.html| title=Judge throws out George Zimmerman's libel suit against NBC| first=Rene|last=Stutzman| date=June 30, 2014| work=[[Orlando Sentinel]]| access-date=February 8, 2015}}</ref>