I'm fascinated with how false or grossly inaccurate stories make the national media, and how and when the blogosphere does such a good job of fact checking them, as an alternative and adjunct to the established print and broadcast media.
For example, both print and broadcast media promoted the idea that George Zimmerman showed up at a car crash in or near Sanford, Florida, with his fire extinguisher and put out a flaming vehicle that had crashed, rescuing the driver, his wife, and two children.
That was the version I saw on a national news broadcast, and that was the story promoted in a number of national print media outlets - Zimmerman saves family from burning SUV.
Hot Air in their coverage noted the routinely and notoriously factually inaccurate site Breitbart had suggested this was a burning vehicle, and that NBC reported it that way. And noted the correction, without any attending notice that there had been a significant change.
Update: NBC reports that the car was on fire, as suggested by the Breitbart report, so there was some danger here to Zimmerman and the other rescuer.
Update: NBC’s now updated its piece to remove the claims that the car was on fire.It wasn't only NBC making the correction.
The initial claim of fire, or even someone getting out of a vehicle with a fire extinguisher, absent any sign of fire, surprise me, because very few vehicle crashes result in fires, specifically 0.1 % -- and they are rarely the type of accident where Zimmerman allegedly showed up to help.
The image of someone who has risked life and limb to save others is materially different from helping someone climb out of a car lying on its side, where there are no apparent injuries.
Reports of such an heroic effort of course boosts the image of Zimmerman as a helpful good samaritan; his image needed some serious help after jurors stated he got away with murder for shooting an unarmed black teen whom, as a guest of residents in the neighborhood, he should have been helping to get home safely instead of killing him.
The notion that Zimmerman is heroic can reasonably be taken to encourage those donors who give him money to give him more, like the group which recently gave him $12,000 to buy more guns. Zimmerman is reportedly broke, or nearly so. Therefore, receiving more than less in the way of donations affects he and his wife very directly and significantly.
Checking the actual Seminole County Sheriff's original press information, there was no mention of fire. The accident report makes no mention of fire. The local press, which I find to be the most reliable reporting on incidents, because of their proximity in the community is very clear there was no fire involved.
The notion that there was a fire appears to hinge on Zimmerman having an unnecessary fire extinguisher.
Most of the sources which originally reported that there was a fiery crash of the SUV involved have now quietly updated their stories - without noting that the update contains a correction or significant change. I have yet to catch an instance where the error or correction was noted on a news broadcast.
What I find so interesting about this event is that Deputy Rehder, who is supposed to have responded to the accident, is noted on the daily Sheriff's Office report as having responded on 7/17 under "Bravo Shift" activity:
Deputy Rehder documented a theft of motor vehicle parts that occurred in the 1400 block of Roosevelt AveBut there is no report on 7/17,7/18, and on 7/22, we have two more arrests under "Delta Shift Activity", and on 7/23 we have two more arrests under "Bravo Shift Activity" but no mention of the SUV crash. At this point, despite not meriting a mention in the routine reports, we have the Sheriff's office making a public announcement of Zimmerman's role in assisting, but not in any way giving recognition to the good samaritan who was first on the scene to help the accident victims, OR acknowledging the numerous people who made the 911 calls, and apparently stayed on the scene to continue to describe the events to the dispatchers taking the calls.
Further, the only person on the scene who reports Zimmerman was there is the Deputy responding, Patrick Rehder. Zimmerman did not mention it to his attorneys the next day, and it was not until AFTER the Sheriff's Department drew public attention with their announcement that he began to claim, through his brother and his spokes person, that he had done so.
His attorneys appear to be giving the affirmative version of the non-denial denial. They have stated that people shouldn't be surprised because this is the way George Zimmerman thinks, and they have stated that IF it were no video tape some people still would not believe it. But they have not actually stated Zimmerman did anything.
The Gerstle family whom he helped out of their vehicle isn't saying anything either, having canceled a press conference. Some attribute this to their having received threats, but this has not been documented, and given the false reports of violence and threats associated with the Zimmerman verdict, is highly suspect. What they aren't however is so grateful for that help that they will identify Zimmerman as one of the rescuers. That could as easily be because he was not, or because the circumstances of his being there coincidentally are suspect. Deputy Rehder, the officer who started the story that Zimmerman was there, is an avid Zimmerman supporter.
What I also find suspicious is that there is no mention of this relatively minor accident without injuries or even apparently serious damage in the SCSO reports, and that press attention for such incidents does not appear to be routine for the SCSO. Also, on their web site, there is no press release despite the Sheriff's Office having gotten around to such a call to the attention of the public a week after the event occurred, not more promptly as one would expect.
I wondered why the SCSO went from zero mention to a full public press announcement; I'm still waiting for a call back from their public information person.
