Starkly absent from their Thursday evening update on the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, NBC Nightly News failed to disclose to viewers that the network and MSNBC were barred from stepping foot in the Kenosha, Wisconsin courthouse after police caught a producer blowing a stoplight as he stalked the bus carrying the jury.
According to the acting job anchor Lester “fairness is overrated” Holt and national correspondent Gabe Gutierrez were putting on, it was just a bland day in the courtroom. “In Kenosha, Wisconsin still no verdict tonight in the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. Our Gabe Gutierrez is there. And the judge sending the jury home after a third day of deliberations, Gabe,” Holt announced.
And for Gutierrez’s perspective and retelling, all the interesting happenings were going on OUTSIDE the courthouse: “Today, once again, a small group of demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse here. Several schools in Kenosha have closed and switched to virtual learning in anticipation of a possible verdict.”
Now to be fair, since he’s banned from entering the courthouse, Gutierrez wasn’t in the room to see it and that’s all he had to look at.
And while CBS Evening News also omitted the NBC family’s folly, ABC’s World News Tonight embarrassed their competitor. “And today, the judge calling lawyers and Rittenhouse into the courtroom for what he called ‘a very serious matter.’ The judge then revealing he was banning a cable news network from the building,” hyped anchor David Muir.
Senior national correspondent Terry Moran kept up the pressure, reporting: “But outside the presence of the jury today, a shocking moment in court.”
And in between soundbites of Judge Bruce Schroeder calling out NBC and MSNBC, Moran gave a rundown of how producer James G. Morrison was instructed to stalk the jury:
SCHROEDER: I have instructed that no one from MSNBC news will be permitted in this building for the duration of this trial.
MORAN: The judge bans MSNBC from the trial after Kenosha police say they pulled over a man affiliated with the network. He ran a red light near the bus designated for jurors and said he'd been told to follow it.
SCHROEDER: That is a very – that’s extremely serious matter.
The Judge also said the matter was “referred to the proper authorities for further action.”
Now for those who would argue that NBC and MSNBC were different organizations, the fact of the matter is, they’re not. They share a lot of the same on and off-screen talent, journalists, and support staff.
In fact, it was NBC News that issued the company’s response, which Moran read from: “NBC News issued a statement, saying, ‘The freelancer never contacted or intended to contact the jurors during deliberations and never photographed or intended to photograph them.’ Adding: ‘We regret the incident.’”
As NewsBusters previously noted, the incident happened the same evening that NBC Nightly News via Gutierrez edited out Schroeder’s scathing rebuke of the media’s “grossly irresponsible handling of what comes out of this trial.”
Life comes at you fast.
NBC’s omission of their disturbing violation of decency was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Prevagen, Ford Motor Company, and Liberty Mutual. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about he biased news they fund.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
November 18, 2021
6:39:00 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: We turn to the other news this Thursday night and Kenosha, Wisconsin, at the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. That jury now deliberating more than 23 hours. And today, the judge calling lawyers and Rittenhouse into the courtroom for what he called “a very serious matter.” The judge then revealing he was banning a cable news network from the building. Here's Terry Moran.
[Cuts to video]
TERY MORAN: Tonight, a third long day of deliberations has come to a close. Jurors still working to determine the fate of Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with killing two men and injuring a third with an AR-15 rifle during violent protests last year. Rittenhouse says he acted in self-defense.
But outside the presence of the jury today, a shocking moment in court.
JUDGE BRUCE SCHROEDER: I have instructed that no one from MSNBC news will be permitted in this building for the duration of this trial.
MORAN: The judge bans MSNBC from the trial after Kenosha police say they pulled over a man affiliated with the network. He ran a red light near the bus designated for jurors and said he'd been told to follow it.
SCHROEDER: That is a very – that’s extremely serious matter.
MORAN: NBC News issued a statement, saying, "The freelancer never contacted or intended to contact the jurors during deliberations and never photographed or intended to photograph them." Adding "We regret the incident."
[Cuts back to live]
This jury's working hard, clearly, since the beginning of deliberations. They've asked for a copy of the jury instructions for each of the jurors. One of the jurors taking it home to study tonight. They've also reviewed, as a group, of a lot of the video evidence. But today, no questions, no requests for evidence. They're hashing it out. David?
MUIR: All right, Terry Moran from Kenosha again tonight. Thank you, Terry.
NBC Nightly News
November 18, 2021
7:04:38 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: In Kenosha, Wisconsin still no verdict tonight in the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. Our Gabe Gutierrez is there. And the judge sending the jury home after a third day of deliberations, Gabe.
GABE GUTIERREZ: Yeah, that's right, Lester. The jury has been deliberating for about 23 hours. But still no indication they're close to a decision or whether this could be a hung jury.
Today, once again, a small group of demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse here. Several schools in Kenosha have closed and switched to virtual learning in anticipation of a possible verdict.
Rittenhouse faces five felony counts for shooting and killing two men and wounding a third during unrest in Kenosha last year. He says he acted in self-defense.
The jury had already asked to replay video evidence in this case and the defense has also asked the judge to declare a mistrial. No ruling yet, Lester.
HOLT: All right. Gabe Gutierrez, thank you.
