NBC's Chuck Todd Apologizes for Gun Segment - iMediaEthics

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Chuck Todd during the gun violence segment in question (Credit: NBC via Raw Story)

Viewers complained over NBC News’ segment on gun violence because it featured only black shooters. NBC’s Chuck Todd apologized.

“We’ve heard you,” he tweeted. “We clearly got it wrong and we are sorry.”

The segment was particulary poorly-timed, airing several days after white man Dylann Roof shot and killed nine black people at the historic Charleston, South Carolina church Mother Emanuel Hope AME.

The Huffington Post reported that Todd “introduced” the segment saying it was “color-blind” and “very different” from the mass shootings in South Carolina.

Initially after criticism, Todd defended the segment, noting that it was scheduled to air before the shootings in South Carolina.

In a post on NBC News’ website, Todd wrote that “some” viewers “were upset it only featured African-American men talking about their regrets of pulling a trigger,” and commented that everyone in the video offered to participate.

“The last thing we wanted was to cloud the discussion of the topic,” Todd went on.

“The original decision to air this segment was made before Wednesday’s massacre. However, the staff and I had an internal debate about whether to show it at all this week. When we discussed putting it off, that conversation centered around race and perception – not the conversation we wanted the segment to invoke.”

He continued:

“We decided against delaying the segment because we wanted to show multiple sides of what gun violence does in this country. We thought the issue of gun violence in our culture and society was an important conversation to continue — too important to put off for another week. The consequences of gun violence should not be hidden.”

 

 

Read Todd’s transcript of the segment here.

 

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NBC’s Chuck Todd Apologizes for Gun Segment

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