DC Trawler

No, a Sandy Hook parent did not get “heckled by gun nuts”

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Another day, another deceptively edited video from NBC News.

Here’s footage that MSNBC has just released of Neil Heslin, whose son was murdered in Newtown, speaking at a public meeting on gun control. It’s presented with the headline, “Emotional father of Sandy Hook victim heckled by gun nuts”:

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Except that’s not how it happened. Twitchy has obtained the full, unedited video, and the relevant portion is at the 15:00 mark:

He wasn’t heckled. He asked the question and demanded an answer. There was complete silence. And only then, when he said that not one person could answer it — rather than remaining quiet out of respect for his feelings — did a few people answer it. You might not like their answer if you don’t like the Second Amendment, but that answer wasn’t unprompted. They were not heckling him.

Mr. Heslin has every right to his grief and anger, and he has every right to ask that question. And those other people have every right to answer it, when an answer is demanded of them. None of them are well served by MSNBC deceptively editing the video to create an event that didn’t happen. It serves nothing but NBC’s own political ends. It’s absolutely disgusting.

I thought the deceptive editing of George Zimmerman’s 911 call to make him sound racist was the worst thing NBC News could possibly do, but this is a new low. What a pack of ghouls you are, NBC.

Update: Answer: No, MSNBC, not really.

Update: A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.

Update: Allahpundit notes, “It’s not ‘deceptive,’ it’s outright propaganda designed to demonize gun-rights supporters. But it’s useful to gun-control activists as a parable of how fanatic and terrible their opponents are, so naturally it’s making the rounds.”

Update: And John Hayward adds, “Obviously the people trying to pump this into an outrageous story with doctored video aren’t interested in fair, reasoned debate: they want to score points, and if they feel any vestigial remorse that they must lie to do it, they reassure themselves that the absolute righteousness of their position justifies all necessary slander.” Fake but accurate.

Update: Slate.com retracts its incorrect story. How about that, facts really can make a difference.

Update: In sum…