NBC News has launched an internal investigation into a story that ran on the "Today" show about the killing of Florida teenager, Trayvon Martin.
The Washington Post was the first to report news of the investigation.
The internal probe will investigate the editing completed on the audio recording of the 911 call George Zimmerman, the man who shot Martin to death, made to police minutes before he took action. The "Today" version of the call makes it sound as though Zimmerman volunteered the information that Martin was black. In actuality, the 911 officer asked if the "suspicious person" Zimmerman was calling about was "black, white or Hispanic."
The omission of the 911 officer's question in "Today's" story paints a significantly different picture. NBC News told the Washington Post that they "launched an internal investigation into the editorial process surrounding this particular story."
News of Martin's death sparked a national outcry after it was reported that Zimmerman was not arrested nor thoroughly investigated after he shot Martin to death. The victim's family and activists have called for Zimmerman's arrest, claiming that Martin was racially profiled. Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watch volunteer, claimed he shot Martin in an act of self defense. Martin was walking home through a gated community in Sanford, Florida after visiting his father. He was carrying a bag of Skittles and an iced tea.
The coverage of Martin's case has caused some conservative pundits to criticize the media, saying that they have rushed to judgment about Zimmerman before necessary facts have surfaced. Ann Coulter compared George Zimmerman critics to the KKK, and Fox News pundit Liz Trotta criticized African American journalists who shared their personal reactions to news of Martin's death.
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