As NewsBusters has often reported, the folks at MSNBC have a disturbing habit of deceptively editing videos to radically change their meaning.
Maybe that's where MSNBC's Toure Neblett learned this, for on Friday, he dramatically edited a Magic Johnson tweet about Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper:
RT @MagicJohnson: Riley Cooper's teammates will never forgive him, I don't care what they say publicly.
— Touré (@Toure) August 3, 2013
For those unaware of the controversy, Cooper was videotaped at a Kenny Chesney concert saying, "I will jump that fence and fight every n---er in here." He has since been dismissed from team activities while he seeks counseling.
From what Neblett retweeted, one would think Johnson had no sympathy for Cooper. Sadly, that wasn't the complete tweet sent by Johnson. Here's the full one:
Riley Cooper's teammates will never forgive him, I don't care what they say publicly. Riley should be given a second… http://t.co/wTDscjEYtA
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) August 3, 2013
Apparently Neblett didn't like the idea of Riley being given a second chance. If that's the case, then he should have said so in his own tweet.
But to edit Johnson's this way is unethical and goes against Twitter etiquette.
If Neblett didn't want his readers to see Johnson's complete tweet, he should have sent what's called a "modified tweet" denoted by an "MT" at the beginning of the post.
Failing this, Neblett deceived his readers about what Johnson wrote.
Makes you wonder how often Neblett does this.
As an interesting sidebar, conservative talk radio host Larry Elder on Friday expressed his disappointment with how the Eagles responded to Riley's comments:
Kobe, on tv, says "f" word slur against gays. Fined. Apologizes. Done. NFL Riley Cooper, drunk, says "n" word--excused from team activities.
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 2, 2013
Riley Cooper banished. Bet the "n" word is nevvvvverrrrrr uttered on the football field when players trash talk, is it?
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 2, 2013
NFL GM on Riley Cooper: "He killed his career." ARE YOU KIDDING??? For saying the "n" word while drunk?! @TheRevAl was completely sober.
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 2, 2013
NFL Gm on Riley Cooper: "He killed his career." Really? Did @RevJJackson, sober, kill his career when he said "hymie" and "Hymietown"?
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 2, 2013
NFL Gm on Cooper: "He killed his career." Did @SpikeLee kill his when he said he gives interracial couples "visual daggers" to show disdain?
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 2, 2013
NFL Gm on Cooper: "He killed his career." Did @CNN's @donnabrazile kill her career when when said the GOP has a "white boy attitude."?
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 2, 2013
NFL GM on Cooper: "He killed his career." Did @NBA's David Stern kill his when he insultingly said, "The NBA doesn't have a Patriot Act"?
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 2, 2013
GM says Cooper "killed his career"? Did C.Barkley kill his for accusing Hootie Johnson of racism for lengthening the Masters--to stop Tiger?
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 2, 2013
Sports Ill. says 20% of NFL players have criminal records. But because of random testing, 100% never use "n"word.
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 2, 2013
Does Elder have a point? Should careers really be destroyed for using this word?
And should that only apply to white people using the N-word?
Blacks should be allowed to continue using it with total impunity while white careers are destroyed for doing so?
If that's what a post-racial society looks like, I'll pass.
(HT Twitchy)