In something of an update to their Sunday morning newscast, Monday’s edition of Today saw NBC finally acknowledge that a “movie company” had set up a catering tent just feet away from the outdoor patio of the shutdown and struggling restaurant of Angela Marsden of Los Angeles, California. But they still refused to admit that the catering was for an NBC comedy show, Good Girls. It was barely a step up from their previous report where they deceptively edited the viral video of Marsden.
On Sunday, NBC correspondent Meagan Fitzgerald deceptively edited Marsden’s viral video exposing California’s COVID hypocrisy. The City of Los Angeles allowed a TV production to set up a dining tent similar to the one she put up outside her restaurant, Pineapple Hill Saloon & Grill, which the city shut down claiming it was unsafe:
FITZGERALD: And back in California, many businesses scared they won't survive.
MARSDEN: Everything I own is being taken away from me. [Transition] And people wonder why I'm protesting and why I have had enough. [Transition] My staff cannot survive.
Fitzgerald would go on to argue that people and businesses like Marsden’s weren’t that important or worthy of consideration.
After touting California’s latest round of draconian restrictions on businesses on Monday, correspondent Miguel Almaguer briefly touched on Marsden’s viral video. “The rules met with pushback from some small business owners. Angela Marsden owns a restaurant in Sherman Oaks, California. Her post about a movie company setting up a dining area just feet from her outdoor space, where she’s not allowed to serve, going viral,” he said.
He then played this soundbite from her social media post, which was omitted on Sunday:
MARSDEN: I'm losing everything. Everything I own is being taken away from me. And they set up a movie company right next to my outdoor patio.
It was The New York Times who first reported that the catering outside Marsden’s restaurant belonged to NBC’s Good Girls:
The catering site was for a crew filming “Good Girls,” a comedy television show that airs on NBC, according to Philip Sokoloski, a spokesman for FilmLA, which helps Los Angeles manage film permits. Mr. Sokoloski said the catering site and the film location nearby were both authorized under a permit issued by the city.
Instead of being transparent with viewers and admitting that the catering was for an NBC production, Almaguer moved on to whining about California sheriff departments refusing to enforce Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) destructive orders.
“And defiance from those expected to enforce them. The sheriffs of Orange and Riverside Counties saying they won't enforce the state's new stay-at-home orders,” he huffed.
NBC may not have deceptively edited the video this time, but they’re trying to hide the truth from their viewers. And any acknowledgment of Marsden dried up by the time NBC Nightly News aired later in the day.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC’s Today
December 7, 2020
7:03:47 a.m. Eastern(…)
MIGUEL ALMAGUER: Overnight, over 33 million Californians ordered to lockdown as coronavirus cases across the state soar and the number of available ICU beds falls.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM: We need to do everything we can to stem the tide.
ALMAGUER: The three-week order now in place for northern, central, and southern California, prohibits in-person dining and gatherings, restricts all store capacity to 20 percent, and shutters salons, playgrounds and museums.
The rules met with pushback from some small business owners. Angela Marsden owns a restaurant in Sherman Oaks, California. Her post about a movie company setting up a dining area just feet from her outdoor space, where she’s not allowed to serve, going viral.
ANGELA MARSDEN: I'm losing everything. Everything I own is being taken away from me. And they set up a movie company right next to my outdoor patio.
ALMAGUER: And defiance from those expected to enforce them. The sheriffs of Orange and Riverside Counties saying they won't enforce the state's new stay-at-home orders.
SHERIFF CHAD BIANCO (Riverside Sheriff’s Department): The Riverside sheriff's department will not be blackmailed, bullied, or used as muscle against Riverside County residents in the enforcement of the governor's orders.
ALMAGUER: Still, for those on the pandemic's front lines, the mandates are crucial.
DR. ANISH MAHAJAN: We could be risking a situation where people will die unnecessarily. Simply because we don't have the level of hospital care to take care of them.
(…)
