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Ma'Khia Bryant shooting: 'NBC Nightly News' slammed by rival programs for leaving out key part of 911 call

The news program edited the disturbing 911 call in which a woman said, 'It's these grown girls over here trying to fight us, trying to stab us, get here now!'

NBC News received considerable backlash on Wednesday, April 21, after its evening news program 'NBC Nightly News' reportedly omitted key details from a report on the police shooting of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio. 

Media Research Center news analyst Nicholas Fondacaro was one of the first to call out the Comcast subsidiary for editing out a portion of the disturbing 911 call in which a woman said, "It's these grown girls over here trying to fight us, trying to stab us, get here now!"

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It's worth noting that NBS did air a brief audio clip from the call in which the caller yells, "We need a police officer here now!"

Fondacaro also noted how the portion of the police bodycam footage shown by NBC did not "show viewers the knife in the attacker's hand just before the shots." 

The segment, however, did not hide the fact that Bryant was wielding a knife before she was shot at.

"A police officer shot and killed a 16-year-old Black girl in Columbus, Ohio saying she was threatening others with a knife," NBC anchor Lester Holt reported. 

The chyron throughout the report read, "POLICE FATALLY SHOOT 16-YEAR-OLD BLACK GIRL HOLDING KNIFE," alongside a screengrab from the police bodycam footage that showed a knife on the ground.

Fondacaro pointed out that ABC's 'World News Tonight' and the 'CBS Evening News' had aired the portion of the 911 call that included the stabbing reference. Furthermore, they even zoomed in on the footage to further clarify that Bryant was armed and dangerous during the altercation.

Prominent social media figures slammed "NBC Nightly News" after the stark comparison with its rivals emerged.

"Really something to watch the comparison of how ABC News responsibly covered the story with how NBC News left out critical details," conservative writer A.G. Hamilton reacted. 

"Is this not to the level of actual malice at this point? The police officer is not a public person. The report leaves out key evidence in such a way as to imply deliberate deception," Daily Caller editor-in-chief Greggory Ingersoll added.

"Omitting a key fact like the knife being clearly visible in her hand as she swings it at the other girl is willfully & intentionally deceptive," Washington Examiner reporter Jerry Dunleavy chimed in.

"Lester Holt gave a speech about facts and truth two weeks ago," political commentator Stephen Miller noted. 

Miller was referencing Holt's recent remarks while accepting a journalism award when he said that "it’s become clear that fairness is overrated" and said that "the idea that we should always give two sides equal weight and merit does not reflect the world we find ourselves in."

"That the sun sets in the west is a fact. Any contrary view does not deserve our time or attention," Holt said while accepting the award. "Decisions to not give unsupported arguments equal time are not a dereliction of journalistic responsibility or some kind of agenda. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Providing an open platform for misinformation, for anyone to come say whatever they want, especially when issues of public health and safety are at stake, can be quite dangerous."

"Our duty is to be fair to the truth," he had insisted in his speech.