NBC has some explaining to do about the way they canned Miguel Almaguer, for his coverage of the Paul Pelosi hammer attack incident. Now that the video has been released, it’s clear that some of his coverage was accurate and some wasn’t. Nothing he reported seems far enough out to be worth the censorship and abuse.
Pelosi attack video controversy
Just because Miguel Almaguer is a left-leaning talking head, for liberal network NBC, doesn’t mean that his coverage of the Pelosi assault deserves the way he was treated by his employers. Critics on both sides of the political aisle are “calling for transparency from NBC News.”
NBC’s semi-conservative competitor, Fox News, is reporting that everyone can see for themselves “what appeared to be accurate and inaccurate with correspondent Miguel Almaguer’s infamous report that was strangely retracted last year.”
Fox might not be as fair and balanced as they used to be but they consider it obvious that Almaguer had a point, based on what his pet rat informants in the SFPD squealed to him. “Almaguer seemed to imply” that Paul Pelosi “might not have been in immediate danger when police arrived at his San Francisco home.”
Here's the Paul Pelosi report from NBC's 'Today' show that's been scrubbed from their Twitter & site.
In it, Miguel Almaguer alleged police didn't know what was happening upon arrived & Paul didn't "declare an emergency," instead walked toward the suspect, away from police (1/2) pic.twitter.com/nWUyZdn75x
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 4, 2022
The wealthy stock-dealing husband of the former House Speaker was brutally attacked by David DePape. The illegal Canadian was armed with an assault hammer, apparently opting for the standard construction claw over ball-peen, which is better for breaking glass.
Almost as soon as it aired, NBC yanked the report, “with little explanation.” The “Comcast-owned network has refused to explain what – if anything – the veteran reporter got wrong.” Fox calls the situation’s handling “bizarre.” It “has led to all sorts of speculation.”
Friday’s “release of bodycam footage from the incident was supposed to clear things up” but it didn’t. “Many media watchdogs have since claimed the footage vindicates Almaguer, while others aren’t so sure.” Pelosi certainly acted confused, which is also understandable considering the circumstances.
Almaguer deserves an apology
Curtis Houck, who is managing editor of NewsBusters, thinks “Almaguer deserves an apology from his own network.” The public has an interest, as well. Especially, because Paul Pelosi was the victim. “NBC News failed to provide any explanation whatsoever for why they not only suspended Almaguer, but whether any producers were suspended as well as what specifically in his reporting on the incident neglected to meet their standards and practices.”
Houck is of the opinion that the “video at least partially vindicated his reporting and made NBC’s evasive behavior and attempt to sweep Almaguer’s reporting and suspension under the rug even more disconcerting.”
Everyone has noticed that the response seemed really disproportionate to the alleged offense. “A simple statement that a retracted and deleted story didn’t meet your ethical standards was utter nonsense and the video release gave us a reminder of that. If they expected the public to move on, they were mistaken,” Houck predicts. The editor for Fourth Watch, Steve Krakauer thinks “Almaguer’s source had ‘spun a story‘ that attempted to make it seem like Pelosi was not in immediate danger to help the San Francisco Police Department ‘cover their inaction.‘”
Where does Miguel Almaguer go to get his apology? pic.twitter.com/2v6a4t39kn
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) January 27, 2023
The most controversial discrepancy between the report and the video comes down to a single line, which could have been corrected with a simple update. The “notable exception” is that “Pelosi did not step back” as Almaguer claimed. “That particular detail could have been corrected without necessarily pulling the entire report and making Almaguer disappear from the NBC air,” DePauw University journalism professor Jeffrey McCall explains.
Fox contributor Joe Concha observes that NBC should simply try telling the truth. “If Almaguer screwed up, they should have been more specific on the what and how after handing down the suspension.”
Simply because he said something that tarnished the Pelosi name isn’t good enough for what he got. After all, NBC “employs Rachel Maddow – whose reporting on allegations of Trump-Russia collusion has come under fire as conspiratorial.” She didn’t get slapped down like Almaguer did. “Standards are based by who and who isn’t expendable, it appears.“
