Dispatch from Abu-Jamal-News.com: NBC's Today Show and more

Dispatch from Abu-Jamal-News.com: NBC's Today Show and more... As this week wraps up, there continue to be new stories about Mumia, and the recent Today Show campaign (Smerconish and Faulkner are still upset about how the show fairly presented both sides). Folks have written me saying that they've had problems watching the Dec. 6 Today Show at the NBC site, so we now have it available via You Tube also, for people's viewing convenience, as well as several other new videos. Hope you enjoy the new stuff!

Best,

Hans

NEW VIDEOS:

The Dec.6 Today Show on You Tube (a special thanks to MOVE supporter Omar Africa). View at NBC website.

People's Video footage of the picket outside the Dec.6 Today Show

Libérez Mumia (Free Mumia) music video, by Kush & Bloodfiyah Angels

Then we also have a couple older pieces that are definitely worth checking out!:

Pam Africa debates the FOP's Richard Costello on FOX news

Leonard Weinglass debates Joseph McGill on The Charlie Rose Show, 1995 (note: the part on Mumia begins at 21:30 in the video).

MUMIA IS INNOCENT: a collection of PSA's from over the years

NEWS ARTICLES: There have also been a couple new articles about the Today Show that are favorable to Mumia:

NBC airs suppressed evidence in Mumia case, by Betsey Piette, Workers World, Dec 13, 2007

Struggle to free Mumia gets media, legal boost, by, Gloria La Riva, December 14, 2007

Mumia's raw deal, Letter to the Editor, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, December 13, 2007.

GLOBAL IMC feature on Mumia

Also, these are a couple new stories not directly about Mumia, but certainly relevant:

Reverend Pinkney’s Fight Against Racism, Gangsterism and Land Stealing, by David A. Love.

New Jersey Votes to Abolish Death Penalty, by Democracy Now!

GLOBAL IMC FEATURE on sentencing of 2001 Genoa protesters.

FAULKNER AND SMERCONISH UPSET BY TODAY SHOW!

On Smerconish's Dec.7 radio show, he expressed his outrage at The Today Show (audio currently unavailable, but I listened to it myself) because it was too "Pro-Mumia." Anyone who watched the show can see that it was not "pro-Mumia," but rather, it fairly showed both sides. This, of course, is too much for the FRY MUMIA lynch mob that continues to insist that we have nothing legitimate to say.

While I don't think there's much about The Today Show, here, this is a collection of Smerconish's recent MURDERED BY MUMIA related interviews that he has had on his show, including with Joseph McGill and current prosecutor Hugh Burns (CLICK HERE).

This "News Buster" interview with Faulkner from yesterday, is the first I found where she officially expresses her feelings about the Today Show. Note that this is the same site that published an article critical of The Today Show on Dec.6 (VIEW DEC.6 ARTICLE).

Wife of Slain Cop on Lauer Interview and Reporter That Spit on Her, by Noel Sheppard, Dec. 15, 2007, Published on NewsBusters.org (http://newsbusters.org)

(LISTEN TO 11 MINUTE AUDIO INTERVIEW).

Last week, NewsBuster Geoffrey Dickens introduced readers to Maureen Faulkner, the wife of a Philadelphia police officer killed in 1981 by former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal.

As Dickens reported, Faulkner was rudely treated by NBC's Matt Lauer on last Thursday's "Today" show as the host seemed to take the side of Mumia supporters who to this day avow his innocence.

One week later, Faulkner was WOR radio host Steve Malzberg's guest, and took the opportunity to not only air her feelings about Lauer's performance, but also to address a reporter that spit on her leg outside of a courtroom in 1982, as well as others that shouted things out at her like "We're glad your pig husband is dead."

After an introduction and some background, Malzberg asked his guest (eleven-minute audio available here [0]):

Matt Lauer should be ashamed of himself. You were constantly put in the position, "Well, what if Mumia didn't do it? Did you ever think of that?" And questions along those lines, which, I mean, how you kept your cool. I would have walked off the set.

Faulkner replied:

I have to tell you, Steve, that I have been at book signings all week, and almost every person that comes up to me brings up what they saw with Matt Lauer, and the questioning that he gave me on the show. So, people were not happy about that. And, you know...

MALZBERG: How did you feel? I'm sorry to interrupt. How did you feel while you were sitting there, you know, listening to these questions that were basically, could have come from a Mumia supporter?

FAULKNER: I was shocked at two of the questions. One was with Michael [Smerconish] the question he asked him. I mean, Michael has been with me on this case for fifteen years behind the scenes helping me and has never, ever, ever taken a penny. And for him to ask, say to Michael, you know, personal or financial gain was insulting. And for me, to say, "Do you ever sit alone and think that maybe his Mumia Abu-Jamal supporters are correct," what a question to ask the widow of a police officer that has gone through the 1982 trial, the '95, '96, '97, '98 conviction relief act hearing. I was in court this past summer which, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. The case is back in court again for a technicality. And, this is the disgrace that the family and I have to go through that, Steve, all I can say is, "Wake up America!" Think of the survivors and the victims of crimes and what they have to go through with appeal processes for year after year after year. And they have to go into court and look in the eye of the person that murdered their loved one.

Yet, even worse, Faulkner recalled an absolutely disgraceful encounter with members of the media shortly after her husband was murdered:

In the 1982 trial, I was coming out of the court one day, and one of the news members spit on my leg and they would say things like, "We're glad your pig husband is dead."

Amazing.

*****Update: NewsBuster "vjguercio" alerted me that Faulkner might have said, "...one of the MOVE members spit on my leg and they would say things like, 'We're glad your pig husband is dead.'"

According to Wikipedia:

MOVE is an organization which was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [1] in 1972 [2] by John Africa [3] (born Vincent Leaphart) and Donald Glassey. MOVE was described by CNN [4] as "a loose-knit, mostly black [5] group whose members all adopted the surname Africa [6], advocated a 'back-to-nature' lifestyle and preached against technology [7]."[1] [8] The group was impacted by a 1985 [9] bombing [10] by the Philadelphia Police Department [11], in which eleven MOVE members died, including founder John Africa. Mumia Abu-Jamal [12] (born Wesley Cook[2] [13]) is an active supporter of MOVE,[3] [14] and penned a 1998 [15] letter titled Long Live John Africa![4] [16]

I've listened to this clip several times, and Guercio might be correct. Anybody else hear her saying "Move" and not "news?"