An early article written by Matt Gutman and Seni Tienabeso reveal a concerted effort to sway public opinion with fabricated "facts" and willful obfuscation. I've taken the article:
Orlando Watch Shooting Probe Reveals Questionable Police Conduct
below and extracted the lies and half -truths as reported by Gutman and Tienabesco. A little over 1/2 of the story is untrue. One half.
By MATT GUTMAN (@mattgutmanABC) and SENI TIENABESO (@seniABC)
ORLANDO, Fla., March 13, 2012
Excerpt: "ABC News has uncovered questionable police conduct in the investigation of the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white neighborhood watch captain in Florida, including the alleged "correction" of at least one eyewitness' account."
Re-News It Note: Aside from the misconstrued testimony of the above mentioned witness, Matt fails to reveal the questionable conduct by SPD anywhere in the article.
Excerpt: "Zimmerman described Martin as suspicious because he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and walking slowly in the rain, police later told residents at a town hall.
Re-News It Note: While it may be true that this was said at a town hall meeting, George never said he felt Martin was suspicious because he was wearing a hoodie, that was Geraldo.
Excerpt: "A dispatcher told him to wait for a police cruiser, and not leave his vehicle.
Re-News It Note: A lie that lives on until this very day. All anyone has to do is listen to the 911 tape to verify this to be false, that includes the media.
Excerpt: "But about a minute later, Zimmerman left his car wearing a red sweatshirt and pursued Martin on foot between two rows of townhouses, about 70 yards from where the teen was going."
Re-News It Note: "Red sweatshirt" had only been used by a witness on a Police Report released to the public via discovery May 17, and by Benjamin Crump during a Roland Martin interview March 2012. Do the math.
Excerpt: "Witnesses told ABC News a fist fight broke out and at one point Zimmerman, who outweighed Martin by more than 100 pounds, was on the ground and that Martin was on top.
Re-News It Note: There were no witnesses to a "fist fight". The term makes one think of two people fighting, there was only one person doing the hitting, according to one witness. Zimmerman weighed approximately 35 lbs more than Martin - do I really need to correct these two misrepresentations at this point?
Excerpt: "Austin Brown, 13, was walking his dog during the time of the altercation and saw both men on the ground but separated."
Re-News It Note: He only saw Zimmerman on the ground yelling for help. Austin Brown told this to Matt Gutman on video long before this article was written ... by Matt Gutman. Pretty much a willful lie, in my opinion.
Excerpt: "Witnesses told ABC News they heard Zimmerman pronounce aloud to the breathless residents watching the violence unfold "it was self-defense," and place the gun on the ground.
Re-News It Note: Hard to know what the residents saw since half lied and half re-canted. George did not place his gun on the ground, he re-holstered as is recommended by concealed handgun guidelines.
Excerpt: "But after the shooting, a source inside the police department told ABC News that a narcotics detective and not a homicide detective first approached Zimmerman. The detective pepppered Zimmerman with questions, the source said, rather than allow Zimmerman to tell his story. Questions can lead a witness, the source said."
Re-News It Note: George was placed in handcuffs, escorted to the squad car, examined by paramedics, and taken to the police station for questioning. No one approached George and "pepppered" (sic) him with questions.
Excerpt: "Two days later during a meeting with Trayvon's father Tracy Martin, an officer told the father that Zimmerman's record was "squeaky clean."
Re-News It Note: This was told to Tracy the morning after Trayvon was killed, and Serino was supposedly quoting George, by that time they knew George's record.
Excerpt: "Yet public records showed that Zimmerman was charged with battery against on officer and resisting arrest in 2005, a charge which was later expunged."
Re-News It Note: George's record was not expunged, the charges were reduced to a misdemeanor.
Excerpt: "Trayvon Martin had no arrest record or disciplinary action for violence as a student in North Miami's Krop High School."
Re-News It Note: There were several disciplinary actions, none for violence that have been made public at the time this article was written. No mention here of Miami Carol High School where Trayvon was transferred from.
Excerpt: "On Monday Lee, seeking to head off racial unrest, tried to reassure the public that his department was doing all it could to reach a fair conclusion, as some in the crowd heckled him saying "a little black boy is dead."
Re-News It Note: Lee never said his press conference was to "head off racial unrest". Completely fabricated or race-baiting rhetoric? I'll let the reader pick one.
Excerpt: "Fulton is incensed that Zimmerman left his car despite being urged against it by dispatchers to stay put.
Re-News It Note: George was never told not to leave his car. Again, listen to the 911 tape located under "evidence files" to the left of your screen.
More to come...
